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“This is not the time to grow substantially”
Columbia Machine Engineering (India) Pvt. Ltd specialises in the manufacture and supply of concrete product solutions and palletising solutions to a variety of industries in India and several countries throughout Asia and Africa. Columbia Machine Engineering (India) Pvt. Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Machine Inc. USA.


Vijay Kumbhani, Director- India, Columbia Machine Engineering (I) Pvt. Ltd, believes that the projection to execution disparity that exists in infrastructure development is not good for the construction equipment industry as he shares this and much more with EPC&I ahead of the upcoming bC India show.

As an established leading player in the Construction Equipment market in the country, what is your opinion on Infrastructure development activity in the country?
The projection to execution disparity that exists in infrastructure development is not good for the construction equipment industry.

While some research analysts and economists claim that it is skewed more towards road building activity, development of power plants, ports, airports, etc continue to lag behind. Do you subscribe to this view?
This government has given lot of emphasis to road projects, and many NHAI projects are on the anvil, also NTPC projects are moving, but there is minimum progress on port, dam and rail projects. 
 
What would you say are the main growth drivers in a highly competitive market?
Quality, Service and Innovation are the main drivers to be a market leader in a competitive and evolving market. As manufacturers, we need to analyse the market requirement and develop products to suit this requirement.

How have the policies and initiatives taken by the government to develop the country’s infrastructure reflected on your company’s growth?
Our business is not greatly impacted with the government policies, but the decisions taken by some municipal corporation to ban certain products to be used in certain works has impacted the manufacturers of the product and in turn us.

What are the company’s expansion strategy and potential segments in Indian construction equipment business?
Last year, Columbia Machine Engineering launched Vacuum Wet Press and Flyash Brick Plant in India. In this bC Expo, we are launching our next Model SPM30 having a pallet size of 750x600mm. This in line with the philosophy of Columbia which is to produce machines that are robust and value for money. 

In the face of aggressive competition putting strong price pressure, coupled with the liquidity in the market which will impact cash flow and profitability, what are the transformations that leading companies such as yours need to bring about to ensure that you not just grow at a predetermined rate but grow substantially?
This is not the time to grow substantially as the market condition is not favourable, so instead of competing on the price point we will look at new products, new market that will give a sustainable growth in the long run .

Many manufacturers in the country are making innovative strides to modify their existing lines to enable them to deliver higher production outputs, improving the productivity and, simultaneously, offering a good RoI. What are your plans on this front?
We are introducing a new Pallet and Rack Handling system unique to the Indian market. This gives flexibility to the customer in handling products right form 60mm to 300mm in height, enhances productivity while reducing manpower. Our endeavour is to give a machine that is automatic giving high productivity, low maintenance with optimum quality, gives high return on investment to our customer.

How is the technology placed to suit Indian requirements taking into consideration that the equipment works for extended duty cycles and adverse conditions within the country?
The Indian market is expanding and will need a bigger and better machine that will fulfil these requirements and are robust and reliable – this is what exactly SPM 30 will offer to the Indian market along with the reduction in the manpower and consistent quality.

Lastly, any new products and services expected to be launched at bc India 2016?
Yes, the new nigger and better SPM 30, the next edition from Columbia Machine, will be demonstrated with automatic rack and palate handling with automatic cubing. We are going to demonstrate this machine in bC India and invite everyone to visit our Outdoor booth No.641.

“Our business is not greatly impacted with the government policies, but the decisions taken by some municipal corporation to ban certain products to be used in certain works has impacted the manufacturers of the product and in turn us.”

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