Innovation has always been at the core of Wirtgen Group’s growth strategy
At BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA, WIRTGEN INDIA will showcase a comprehensive portfolio of advanced equipment and digital solutions from the Wirtgen Group brands, including Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm and Kleemann. In an exclusive interview to CONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES, RAMESH PALAGIRI, MD & CEO, WIRTGEN INDIA, speaks about the products and solutions on display at BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA, emphasis on technology, innovation, aftermarket and a lot more.
What key products, technologies, or launches will you be showcasing at BAUMA CONEXPO IN-DIA 2026, and how do these offerings address the evolving needs of construction, mining, and infrastructure segments such as bridges, flyovers, rural projects and smart cities?
At BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA 2026, Wirtgen India will showcase a comprehensive portfolio of ad-vanced equipment and digital solutions from the Wirtgen Group brands, including Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm and Kleemann.
Our focus will be on technologies that support India’s massive infrastructure development agenda across highways, expressways, urban mobility corridors, bridges, flyovers, airport projects, and rural road connectivity. We will highlight solutions for milling, recycling, paving, compaction and screening that deliver higher productivity, superior quality, and lower operating costs.
A key emphasis will be on intelligent machine technologies, and connected jobsite solutions that help contractors execute projects faster and more efficiently while maintaining quality standards. As infrastructure projects become larger and more complex, customers increasingly seek solutions that maximize performance, optimize resource utilization, and ensure predictable project out-comes. Our offerings are designed precisely to address these evolving requirements.
Please provide details on your emphasis on technology, research, design and innovation? What is your focus on technological upgradation in respect of digitalisation, automation, AI, telemat-ics and predictive technologies to enhance productivity, safety, lifecycle value and overall ma-chine performance for customers?
Innovation has always been at the core of Wirtgen Group’s growth strategy. Our global R&D net-work continuously invests in the development of intelligent technologies that help customers im-prove efficiency and quality.
Digitalization is playing an increasingly crucial role in modern construction. Through advanced telematics platforms, machine management systems, and performance monitoring tools such as such as John Deere Operations Center, customers gain real-time insights into machine utilization, fuel consumption, maintenance requirements, and operational efficiency.
Tell us about the indigenisation efforts undertaken by the company to meet the market re-quirements? What is the company’s approach to implementing the ‘Make in India’ drive?
India is one of the most important markets for Wirtgen Group globally, and localization remains a key pillar of our long-term strategy.
Through Wirtgen Group India, we have steadily increased local manufacturing capabilities and strengthened our domestic supply chain ecosystem. Our objective is to deliver products that are specifically engineered for Indian operating conditions while maintaining the high standards of quality, performance, and reliability associated with the Wirtgen Group.
The ‘Make in India’ initiative aligns closely with our approach. We continue to enhance local sourc-ing, vendor development, manufacturing competencies, and workforce skills. This enables us to offer customers shorter lead times, improved parts availability, competitive ownership costs, and solutions tailored to local market needs while supporting the broader growth of India’s industrial ecosystem.
How does your organisation ensure strong aftermarket support, customer service and high uptime for its equipment across diverse and demanding operating conditions?
For us, customer support extends well beyond machine delivery. We believe equipment perfor-mance throughout its lifecycle is equally important.
Wirtgen India has developed a robust nationwide support network comprising trained service en-gineers, application experts, spare parts infrastructure, and customer support teams. This net-work enables us to provide timely assistance across diverse geographies and project conditions.
Our focus is on preventive maintenance, rapid response, technical training, remote diagnostics, and efficient spare parts availability. Through digital monitoring solutions and proactive service initiatives, we help customers maximize machine availability, reduce unplanned downtime, and achieve consistently high operational efficiency. High equipment uptime ultimately translates into better project profitability for our customers.
What sort of customer-centric initiatives has your company undertaken to be one step ahead of competition?
Customer success remains the foundation of our business strategy. We continuously engage with contractors, fleet owners, and project stakeholders to understand their evolving operational chal-lenges.
Our customer-centric initiatives include operator training programs, application consulting, tech-nology demonstrations, project-specific support, service agreements, and digital fleet manage-ment solutions. We also focus on helping customers optimize machine performance, reduce oper-ating costs, enhance productivity, and improve project quality.
Beyond products, we work as solution partners by supporting customers through the entire project lifecycle. This consultative approach allows us to deliver tangible business value and build long-term relationships based on trust and performance.
Rentals are growing. What is your strategy to tap opportunities and what is your outlook for the rentals market?
The rental market is becoming increasingly important as contractors seek greater operational flexibility and optimized capital deployment.
We view equipment rentals as a valuable complement to traditional ownership models, particular-ly for specialized applications, short-term projects, and capacity expansion requirements. Our role is to support rental companies and fleet operators with reliable equipment, technical expertise, training, spare parts support, and lifecycle services.
As project execution timelines become more demanding and equipment utilization gains im-portance, we expect the rental segment to continue growing steadily. This trend presents significant opportunities for technologically advanced and highly reliable machinery that can consistent-ly deliver strong performance across multiple projects and applications.
