Zoomlion Electromech committed to safe crane operations

Zoomlion ElectroMech India (ZEIPL), the joint venture between Chinese construction equipment manufacturing major Zoomlion and Indian industrial crane maker ElectroMech, is beating the market with world-class tower cranes technology. Arun Bishnoi, Director – Tower Cranes, Zoomlion Electromech India talks about how safe the company’s tower cranes are.

How do you look at the market for tower cranes as of now?
The volume of tower cranes sales was 550 units during the last year and it is expected to remain same during this year. Though the first two quarters were good in comparison with the last year, the sales remain subdued during the third quarter. Now we have received good number of enquiries during the past couple of months and expect a better business in this quarter.

Earlier tower cranes market used to be dominated by one or two major players. Now there are many players and there is a good competition as well. What makes you different from the rest?
Yes, there are many competitors but the heavy capacity cranes segment is still dominated by a few companies as they are the perfect solutions for specialised projects. We have achieved almost 60 per cent market share in the 10-tonne and above larger capacity cranes during the past couple of years.

The growth of market is largely depending upon the growth of real estate market, whereas that particular segment is not doing well. So is there a kind of concern?
Definitely, the real estate market has been among the sectors worst hit by the economic downturn. This has resulted in decline in property sales. But realising that the situation is not going to remain same, major real estate developers are investing on their future plans and adopting latest technologies like precast concrete and tunnel formwork. They are equipping themselves to be able to deliver larger inventory in shorter time when the situation improves. This is driving the demand of tower cranes even when real estate market is sluggish.

What are the innovations you made in your tower cranes to achieve dominance?
Zoomlion has an edge in the tower cranes designing that  has helped us to develop variety of tower cranes under different capacities. Though these cranes are imported either from European countries or from China, we are well-placed to bring in the best quality of advanced cranes according to the requirement of the customer.

How safe are your tower cranes?
We can proudly say that in the 10 years of Zoomlion’s presence in India, our tower cranes have never met with any accident though we have the second largest crane population. This is possible because of the stringent production process we follow and highest grade of safety accessories we use. We get regular business from our customers because they have confidence on us.

How is your JV with Electromech doing?
The Zoomlion-Electromech joint venture started production two years back and is doing well. We have the future plans for the expansion of the factory but waiting for the number to increase. Without increase in number we cannot justify our expenses in bigger investments.

Is Electromech matching to your quality?
Yes, Electromech is a renowned name with years of experience. It is a preferred supplier for all top companies in India which has benefitted both the partners.

You said that you are the second largest tower cranes supplier in India. What will it get you to the top?
Our numbers are increasing and it will take few more years to surpass our competitors. We are doing our best for whatever is required to get the maximum market share. (please explain your future expansion plans for tower cranes business)

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“We can proudly say that in the 10 years of Zoomlion’s presence in India, our tower cranes have never met with any accident.”
Arun Bishnoi, Director – Tower Cranes, Zoomlion Electromech India

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