Mission Progression from Strength to Strength
While on a muted recovery path, the Indian construction & real estate sector has been showcasing greater signs of resilience. As per the data released by the Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (ICEMA), India’s construction equipment industry witnessed a 5% rise in sales to 28,902 units during the April-June quarter of 2024-25. The growth was a result of increasing year-on-year sales in three of the five main equipment segments of the CE industry in the April-June 2024 period.
These were earthmoving equipment with a 5% increase, road construction equipment with a 9% increase, and concrete equipment with a growth of 11%. Material handling equipment and material processing equipment, on the other hand, clocked 3% and 4% reduction in sales in Q1 FY25 as compared to Q1 FY24. The earthmoving equipment segment sold 19,858 units while the sales of material handling equipment stood at 3,760 units, concrete equipment at 3,199 units, road construction equipment at 1,457 units and material processing equipment at 628 units in the first quarter of FY 2024-25.
The growth in construction equipment is bound to accentuate with many plans in the offing… for instance, the Road Transport and Highways ministry plans to build public transport and terminal infrastructure across India to centralise all transportation systems, including roadways, railways, airways, waterways and ropeways, into a single location to streamline passenger experience and significantly enhance convenience for users. The move is aimed at improving the efficiency of freight and passenger movement in the country as such terminals will act as a one-stop solution for interfacing and interconnecting different modes of transport to cater to 87% of the passenger traffic moving through roads in the country, said officials.
In yet another update, in order to enhance the lifespan of the national highways, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is considering ‘white-topping’ for their rehabilitation and strengthening, primarily for expansion of the life span of the roads and keeping them pothole-free. According to officials, the policy regarding the use of the technology is at the finalisation stage and the ministry has sought feedback from stakeholders — including agencies that maintain and develop roads across states — by the first week of September.
Such policy initiatives and the government’s steadfastness in clearing approvals signal show of strength to enable a seamless infrastructure development across the country, which will eventually result in India Inc witnessing a great fillip and so will be the construction equipment segment.
