2010 - Putzmeister

Bauma partner country India
“Our core competences remain
product, quality and service”
Extracts from an interview with Mr.
M. Schmid-Lindenmayer on the successful
Putzmeister presence on the India
subcontinent.
PM: For around 3 years, Putzmeister has
been present on the Indian market with its
own plant. What were the reasons for this?
SL: We have invested in our own team and
production here in India because we are
convinced of the big future for this market
and wanted to be able to meet demand for
marketable products quickly and more efficiently.
PM: Have you as OEM now got a different
strategy?
SL: Our strategy rests on two pillars. On
the one hand, we want to develop products
that the market really needs in a short time
and bring them onto the market. And on
the other hand, we are increasingly expanding
our service network. This is a critical
success factor in this business, which
Putzmeister is pursuing worldwide.
PM: How far have you come in this
short time?
SL: In our modern plant in Goa, with
an area of 100,000 m 2 , we now produce
13 machine types for the Indian market
with 250 employees. These are the stationary
pumps BSA 1404, 1407, the Moli 1404,
Moli 1407 in diesel and electric versions
and the truck-mounted concrete pump models
BSF 32.09, BSF 36.07/09, BSF 42.09
and BSS 46.14.
Our BSA 1404 HD, launched last September,
is now our most popular trailer concrete
pump in India. At the Excon trade
fair in November 2009, we were the first
to exhibit a homologated M 42 and a M 46
in semi-trailer version - marketable with
the Indian truck. These are machines that
surprised everyone and which are ideal as
a large boom for airports, flyovers, liquid
gas tanks, cooling towers and other types
of large construction projects.
PM: And to what extent have you built up
your service organisation so far?
SL: We now already have 13 bases, distributed
throughout the country, such as in
Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore and Chennai,
to name but a few. In addition, we have
The modern Putzmeister plant in Goa, with an area of 100,000 m 2 , produces for
the Indian market.
of course also invested predominantly in
the qualification of our people in sales and
service.
PM: How has this expansion been possible
in such a short time?
SL: There are several reasons. One of these
is our Indian employees who are willing
to learn. They have learnt very quickly
with the help of experts from Germany. In
addition, their training was very practical:
in the after-sales service, during training
and in the consultation and implementation
of concrete placement in construction
projects.
PM: Are there examples of this?
SL: Our pumps have been used in very
many projects, such as the construction
of the underground railway in Delhi, the
sports complexes of the Commonwealth
Games, many steel and power plants, etc.
The most famous projects include Ruby
Mill (high-rise in Mumbai), the biggest refinery
in the world by ESSAR and Reliance
in Jamnagar as well as the airports in Delhi
and Mumbai, which were realised by L&T,
India‘s biggest construction firm.
PM: Finally, a completely different question:
What are you expecting from Bauma 2010?
SL: First, we‘re excited that India is the
partner country for this year‘s Bauma. We
hope that many customers will visit us at
this worldwide trade fair for construction
machinery, that we will be able to make
new contacts and that they will ultimately
take away a positive impression of the capability
of the Putzmeister Group. n
Michael Schmid-
Lindenmayer
Managing Director,
Putzmeister
Concrete Machines
Pvt. Ltd. in Goa,
India
Putzmeister
Goa, India
Putzmeister distributors and Service are
to be found all over India by now.
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Best experiences
Vascon Engineers Limited, based in
Mumbai, is a distinguished Indian construction
firm with revenue of more
than EUR 100 million. It focuses on construction
projects in the fields of infrastructure,
real estate and hotels. Vascon
Engineers Ltd. has more than 20 years
experience in the planning, development,
construction and administration
of a wide range of projects throughout
India and has already received many
awards from the Builders Association of
India (BAI).
For its construction projects, Vascon
relies on state-of-the-art construction
machinery. This includes 6 BSA 1407 D
During the ritual, a coconut is broken
until its milk leaks out.
In the “pooja” ceremony, thanks are
given for the new object and a blessing
is sought.
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stationary pumps. A very prestigious reference
is the 190 m tall „Ruby Mill“ office
complex project in Mumbai (the current
height of construction is 160 m). This construction
project is a classic example of how
mechanisation improves construction or
cycle times and safety standards. For concrete
placement, two M 32 stationary booms
and two BSA 1408 HD concrete pumps by
Putzmeister, which are more efficient than
the BSA 1407, are used.
Mr. Manoj Kallur, Vice President Projects
of Vascon Engineers Ltd. says: “We have already
been collaborating with Putzmeister
for a long time and have had excellent experiences.
The Putzmeister team provides
Here, the person conducting the ceremony,
knocks the hard, dry coconut shell on a
hard surface until a crack appears and the
shell breaks. The sweet coconut milk leaks
out and the drops are sprinkled over the
venerated object.
The nut is then broken up completely. The
1 to 2 cm thick flesh is peeled out, cut into
cubes and distributed among the people
taking part in the ceremony as a “Prasadam”.
Indians understand “Prasadam” to
mean holy food, which is first offered to
god and then to the bystanders.
This ritual has meanwhile been adopted by
nearly all religious communities in India,
and is celebrated today when valuable
objects are obtained or before the start of
any new project. For example, for the first
use of a new vehicle, the laying of the foundation
stone of a new building or the dedication
of a bridge, etc.
Of course, at Putzmeister too in India, the
delivery of a new truck-mounted concrete
pump is celebrated with a “breaking the
coconut” ritual.
us with excellent technical support and
helps us to use the machines optimally.
The extraordinary good service provision
is a big strength. The excellent boom
merits particular mention. It has significantly
simplified an important process
and saved us a significant amount of
time and effort in concreting.” n
The Blessing Ritual: Breaking the coconut
Foreign visitors who are not familiar with the traditions of the Indian subcontinent are
always amazed at certain ceremonies and rituals in India. They are usually of a religious
origin. A very common tradition, for example, is the centuries-old ritual of „breaking the
coconut“.
This usually takes place in conjunction
with a “pooja” ceremony, during which
attention is drawn to new things, thanks
are expressed to the Almighty and the blessing
of the divinities is solicited. n
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Vishvakarma – “God of the machines”
Vishvakarma is the Hindu god of handicraft.
According to Indian myth, he
not only constructed the cities and
palaces of the gods, but also the universe
itself.
He is worshipped by all tradesmen,
engineers and architects on the subcontinent.
n
14 PM 4300 GB PM 4300 GB 15
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