The International Mining and Machinery Exhibition (IMME) 2016, which saw the participation of over 300 exhibitors showcasing latest mining equipment and affiliated products, was held in the vicinity of the same venue where the mining summit was held. This year’s edition featured International Pavilions from Australia, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia and the UK. Some of the key exhibitors at this year’s edition include JCB, Caterpillar, Tata Hitachi, Mahindra, Sany, Leeboy, SREI Finance, Dozco, Sandvik, Eaton, Joy Global, L&T, BEML, Flsmidth, BKT, Hazemag and Vermeer. Since inception in 1984, IMME has emerged as the largest mining exhibition in India, and this year too garnered an unprecedented turnout in terms of delegates, business visitors, clients and members of the press.
JCB India Ltd., the country’s leading manufacturer of earthmoving and construction equipment, showcased its new 5.5 tonne wheeled Loader – the 455ZX and the G63QI diesel generator. This new wheel loader is equipped with a 6-cylinder Common Rail DieselMAX 672 engine which also was exhibited at the stand.
Mr. Vipin Sondhi, MD and CEO, JCB India Ltd., said: “The IMME has been a leading exhibition for the mining sector for many years. With India becoming a bright spot in the world economy, it is the right time to introduce world class mining equipment suitable for this country. We at JCB are keen to leverage on the opportunity to display our state-of-the-art wheeled loader, specifically designed for the mining sector.”
Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Pvt. Ltd. showcased its hydraulic excavators: EX1200V, ZX870H, ZX650, ZX470H (Backhoe), ZX470H (Shovel) and the wheel loader ZW220. It has also launched its ZAXIS470 shovel variant. The organization’s product line-up includes a wide range of excavators, from 2T – 800T excavators, 35T to 290T rigid dump trucks, wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, motor graders, etc.
Mr. Sandeep Singh, Managing Director, Tata Hitachi, said: “We are rolling out the ZAXIS470 Shovel variant, which is a good machine for granite and coal mining. We have also showcased a 5-tonne loader and a rock breaker. We are doing very well in mining as our marketshare is 40% in this (excavator) segment.”
Mahindra’s Truck and Bus Division (MTBD) showcased its tipper segment products and related applications and its product display included five tippers, i.e., BLAZO 25 Tipper (BSIV), BLAZO 31(8×4) Tipper, BLAZO 49 Tip Trailer, TRUXO 25 TM FBT and Loadking OPTIMO LCV Tipper (BSIV).
Talking about mining as a growth vehicle for MTBD, Mr. R.C. Mangal, Sr. VP – Sales & Marketing – Truck and Bus Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., noted: “The maximum growth opportunities lie in the construction and mining segments in the next 15-20 years and therefore we have decided to become the principal sponsor of this expo. Since we are a relatively new player, we find it’s worth participating in the event to showcase our products to prospective people from all across the country, especially from East India. The response to the products has been tremendous and we are getting very good orders because they are the best-in-class among our peers. Going forward, our aspiration is to grow from 5% to 30% marketshare in the mining segment.”
LeeBoy India Construction Equipment Private Ltd. (LeeBoy India) presented its 528-D Crawler Mounted Drill-rig and 985 Motor Grader at the event. The former will be catering to the needs of blast hole drilling applications in quarries and mines and can drill 8 metres in a single pass.
Ms. Priya Iyer, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications and Marketing Services, LeeBoy India, stated: “We are a 52-year-old brand and are one of the very few OEMs to offer a ready-to-use, factory-fitted drill-rig attachment on the excavator with standard warranty terms for the entire unit. Our focus has primarily been on road construction and maintenance sectors. For mining, we have bigger graders like 15-tonne graders and showcasing 528D is the reason we are at IMME. We are targeting the mining and the quarry sector and have got a good response to the machine because not too many people have it since it is a niche product.”
Balakrishna Industries (BKT), the homegrown manufacturer of off-highway tyres and also one of the prime sponsors of the event, presented its 27.00R49 OTR which is available in two varieties for 100-tonne dumpers along with 35/65R33 for loaders for mining operations.
Mr. P. K. Ganguly, Head – Marketing – OTR, BKT, stated: “We feel that there is a huge potential to grow in the mining segment. Moreover, IMME, being organized by CII, witnesses people coming from outside India. Through mining events like IMME, we can certainly showcase our latest product range. We were the first company to get this mine-specific radial tyres in India. We always felt that this is our right platform as India is one such country in South-East Asia which is growing. BKT always develops tyres which value adds customers’ requirements in terms of economy and reliability.”
SANY India, a leading manufacturer of construction, heavy machinery and renewable equipment, announced its foray into the mining segment by rolling out the SRT55 off-highway dump truck. It has also presented SY 750, a 75-tonne excavator.
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Chidambar Joshi, National Head – Service and Parts, SANY Heavy Industries Pvt. Ltd., said: “With our foray into the mining segment, we want to set new benchmarks by offering complete mining solutions and partnering with leading mining companies for end-to-end solutions. Since mining is a crucial segment adding significantly to the GDP of the country, we believe there is a huge potential for us in this market. We will be offering mining solutions to the iron & coal, power, cement and construction industries. A lot of big lease projects are offered to mining firms, and we are going to leverage on that.”
Caterpillar India presented its 773E and 777E Off-Highway Trucks, in addition to having video displays and an area to showcase its Smart Iron technologies. The Indian arm of the US-based firm has a wide product portfolio to cater to surface as well as underground mining.
Mr. Rahul Jain, India Region Manager, Global Mining, Caterpillar India, stated: “India is an important market and participating in IMME gives us an opportunity to engage with representatives of a wide range of businesses and to present the strengths of Caterpillar – quality products, advanced technology and excellent after-sales service and support through our unmatched dealer support.”
Vermeer is an Iowa-based company operating globally in various segments like equipment for installations, biofuels and biomass industries, agricultural industry as well as mining and construction industries. It is now actively exploring options to offer solutions like terrain levellers for the mining industry. To kickstart the process, it has just commenced operations with VECV being its local partner.
Mr. T. Ramesh, Country Head, Vermeer India, disclosed: “We are known for our blast-free technologies for mining operations. Our products can be used in the most challenging circumstances and provide a good ROI. Once our brand gets recognition, we will start rolling out our product lines. The mining industry is definitely growing in India. Apart from coal, the iron ore segment is also going to take a batter shape in the coming future. With the infrastructure projects coming up in a big way, coupled with industrialization, limestone mining is also on the growth path. Until 2022, the Government’s plans are also encouraging for equipment manufacturers.”
Evonik Industries, one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals companies, presented its DYNAVIS technology and demonstrated how it can bring a new level of efficiency to hydraulic fluids. It is to be mentioned that Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) is already offering its customers hydraulic fluid formulated with DYNAVIS technology.
Carlos Vernet, Marketing Manager, DYNAVIS Asia Pacific, said: “We are known for our technology in oil additives for lubricants (hydraulic fluids) based on hi-performance polymers which provide a higher viscosity index and higher stability and better performance Along with IOC, we have developed SERVO HYVIS EE 46 formulated with DYNAVIS technology for our local mining and construction customers. This oil will help the hydraulic equipment owners and operators (e.g., excavators, loaders, etc.) achieve higher levels of fuel efficiency and productivity. India is a very technology-oriented market and is quickly embracing hi-performance technology like ours. It is also environment conscious, and I think our technology will be very quickly adopted by many mining and construction companies.”
Davesman India, a one-stop shop for all mining safety and security products, was also present at the exhibition. Having collaborations with Brigade, Preco, Er Lau AG, Nordic, etc., the company sells Xenon and Halogen lights, proximity sensors, tyre protection chains, anti-skid chains, reversing safety system, a Bird’s Eye View (360 degree 4-cameras), colour flat screen systems, , monitor, camera, CCTV, TFT, etc. Though majorly present in the OTR segments, it is in talks with On-highway truckmakers like Daimler Benz, Volvo, etc., for offering its solutions.
“Our forte is giving services and involving our products with OEMs like Komatsu, Tata Hitachi, Caterpillar, BEML, etc. With the new mines coming over, things might change. Security awareness is far higher than it was earlier. People are excited about our products and we have got new enquiries,” revealed Mr. Subrat Dave, VP Sales, Davesmen India.
The NLMK Group, an international steel producer with operations in Russia, Europe and the US, also had a stall at the expo. With majorly involved in sales and distribution of electrical steel (CRGO and CRNGO) and plates imported from Belgium into India, the company is betting big on high-strength steel plates for mining trucks.
Mr. Bernard Robins, Marketing Manager, NLMK Europe-Plate, stated: “We are producing and selling plates which are made of abrasion-resistant and high strength steel and are used in the mining sector mainly for dump trucks, tippers and all applications where there is a severe wear and tear due to hard rocks and all the elements coming from earth. India is a fantastic country because there is a big need for our products for OEMs which are making mining machines here as well as for parts that we sell for the replacement market. India is a very important market for us and that is the reason we are present in events like IMME. We have a very positive response from our visitors becoming our potential customers and repetitive purchase. We will introduce higher grades for abrasion resistant steel for mining applications in the future.”
The Hinduja Group company Gulf Oil Lubricants, which has formed a strategic partnership with Whitmore, a global producer of lubrication-centric reliability products, including high performance mining, rail and industrial lubricants, presented the jointly developed lubes for the Indian market.
Mr. Somesh Sabhani, Head – Industrial Sales at Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd., said: “We have launched very high-technology speciality greases which are used for heavy duty equipment for mining operations. We have a tie-up with the US-based Whitmore and have launched it last year. These are high technology and high temperature greases which are long lasting and ensure 50% reduction in consumption, apart from improving the life of the components. We have supplied our products to Coal India and to a few other mining customers. The mining industry, with the changed government outlook, should be able to grow much faster and we plan to grow very aggressively here.”
Good response from all stakeholders
The Global Mining Summit (GMS) 2016, a signature event which was held concurrently with the exhibition, brought together government policy-makers, mining professionals, technology providers, financing institutions, academia, geologists, environmentalists and consultants to deliberate on the emerging issues, challenges and forthcoming opportunities in the sector. Australia was the partner country for the Summit, which was incidentally the largest of its kind in South Asia.
Dr. Amit Mitra, West Bengal Minister for Commerce and Industry, Finance and Excise, inaugurated the four-day exhibition. At the inaugural session of the mega summit, he stated: “The mining sector has the potential to create 6 million additional jobs. If properly harnessed, this sector can not only produce millions of jobs by 2025, but can also be a significant contributor to the nation’s GDP.”
Dr. Mitra also affirmed that his Government is already geared up to take advantage of coal and other minerals reserves. Geological surveys have indicated that West Bengal has untapped reserves of iron ore, dolomites, tungsten, fireclay, granite and sand and the Government has made the State’s minerals relate geo-scientific data public and updated rules for mining.
Dr. Sarat Kumar Acharya, Co-Chair, CII National Committee on Mining and Chairman and Managing Director, NLC India Ltd., observed: “The clarion call of our Prime Minister to make in India will be successful only when all the segments join together and the mining sector, being at the root for providing inputs to the industries such as power, off-stream manufacturing, etc., can get a massive thrust. Moreover, auctioning of coal mines, implementation of the MMDR Act, etc., have resulted in bringing in a lot of transparency in the entire system. Even though India is rich in a lot of resources, its optimum utilization has to be ensured beginning with thorough exploration and assessment before exploitation of various minerals.”
Mr. S. Bhattacharya, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Coal India Ltd., in his address, said that in terms of coal production CIL has achieved the targeted volumes. “Now we have to focus on quality in the ecological protection context,” he maintained, adding, “India not only needs to garner minerals underground, but also requires to harness its human capital pool to achieve the full potential in the mining sector.”
Mr. Tom Albanese, Co-Chair, CII National Committee on Mining and CEO of Vedanta Ltd., said that India is getting into a phase of accelerated growth. “The GDP growth rate may double in the next decade which would ultimately boost the demand for coal and other minerals exponentially. India needs to explore mineral resources more vigorously and aggressively and look at opportunities for export of minerals and metals. The Government has already taken a strong stand as the enabler.”
Mr. Peter Nicholls, Fellow – Perth USAsia Centre and Director, South Asia – Mining Innovation: State of Play, said that like China, India would also follow the industrial growth through the commodity intensive route.
Mr. V.K. Arora, Chairman, Mining, Construction and Equipment Division of CII, stated: “Two important things have happened which we need to consider seriously. First, the Government determination to overhaul the mineral sector through private participation so as to fully realize the potential in a very transparent manner. Second, for those who are associated with the coal sector, India has been able to raise its conversion rate by 5.2%. Despite impressive growth in the renewable capacity, coal will continue to be the king for power generation for the next two decades.”
An exclusive CII report titled “Mining Opportunities – Realising the Potential” was launched at the inaugural session of the two-day summit. Mr. Balvender Kumar, Secretary, Union Ministry of Mines, said the Star Rating system for the operating mines was operational and the country’s first such rating report was published in the first half of December following the MMDR Act amendment, the Government facilitated 17 auctions of 55 leases in nine States fetching Rs. 70,000 crores. “Another Rs. 47,000 crores is likely to be fetched from auctions in the near future.”
Mr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal, Secretary, Department of Industry, Mines & Geology, Government of Jharkhand, made a presentation to highlight what the Jharkhand Government is working on to reorganise its mining sector to attract more investments and introduce transparency and ease of doing business.
Mr. John Vann, Group Head of Exploration and Geosciences, Anglo American, focused on optimising the potential of the mining sector by adopting latest technologies in mining exploration.
Mr. R.K. Sinha, Controller General, Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), underscored the efforts IBM is making to generate detailed data on mineral resources in the country and also dwelt upon some technical issues related to mining operations.