TIL Limited: Engineering India’s Crane Legacy and Future

TIL Limited, in India’s infrastructure evolution, carries a legacy of innovation and resilience. Established in 1944, TIL has long been a key player in India’s heavy machinery and engineering sector. From creating the first mobile crane in India to embracing international collaborations and sustainability, the journey is a true example of vision coming to action.

A Legacy Welded in Engineering

TIL was founded with a national vision — to empower and support the development of India’s infrastructure using indigenous capability and resources. India’s first mobile crane rolled out from its Kamarhati facility in West Bengal in 1962, marking a turning point in the nation’s industrial history.

The momentum continued with the manufacturing of India’s first Rough Terrain (RT) crane in 1982, built to handle the most challenging job sites. This was followed by the launch of India’s first 100-tonne truck-mounted mobile crane in 1988, further strengthening the country’s lifting and construction capabilities.

Global Partnerships & Local Strength

The most important aspect contributing to TIL’s consistent growth is strategic international alliances. Its collaborations with Grove and Manitowoc USA dealerships brought global best practices and advanced technology into the Indian market. TIL Limited also maintained a strong local foundation, and the product range expanded from rough terrain, truck cranes to crawler cranes.

The NACCO Material Handling Group (now Hyster-Yale Group) partnership broadened the hold in the container handling equipment segment, and the Snorkel Europe Ltd. partnership established TIL as the official sales and service provider across Northern and Eastern India.

Cranes manufactured at TIL facilities continue to serve India’s most demanding sectors and projects, including ports, mines, construction, defence, and more. Moreover, whether it’s a port, a warehouse, or a remote project site, every crane is engineered to withstand challenging terrain and the toughest environments across the country.

Serving Strategic Sectors

In conjunction with building and infrastructure, TIL is an established name in India’s defence industry – Army, Navy, and Air Force. Thus, the engineering accuracy and dependability can be witnessed through its capacity to produce cranes that are paramount national security armaments.

Vision, Mission and Values

TIL defines its vision as:

“To be a globally trusted engineering solution provider that adds sustainable value to the lives of people and the planet.”

Its mission is equally clear:

“To deliver customer delight globally through engineering and service solutions, while living our values and building a safe, sustainable, and engaging place to work.”

Every product that leaves the facility reflects the mission set by TIL Limited, as they all adhere to stringent international standards. Thus, the outcome is safe, versatile, and resource-efficient machines that deliver premium performance.

Safety is Paramount

TIL believes that safety is everyone’s responsibility — the company, the customer, the end user, and the crane operator. Comprehensive training is provided to operators, covering operational dos and don’ts, with a strong emphasis on safety, because a well-trained, cautious operator is the most effective safety device. Additionally, ARAI certification reinforces TIL’s commitment to meeting the highest standards for safety, brake performance, steering control, and noise reduction, ensuring safe crane operations even in the most demanding construction environments.

Every crane is built with a higher Factor of Safety (FoS), integrated telematics for real-time performance monitoring, and equipped with Safe Load Indicators (SLI) that automatically cut off operation if the load exceeds the rated capacity. These advanced in-built safety features, including glide slew functionality, ergonomic designs, and cutting-edge sensors, are designed to minimise the risk of accidents. Additionally, TIL cranes deliver superior performance and long-term reliability, even in demanding operations, outperforming many others in the market.

Customer Comes First

TIL cranes feature a fully synchronised rectangular boom made from high-tensile imported steel, ensuring even load distribution and high lifting capacity, all while offering the lowest cost of ownership. Customisation options are also available to cater to specific customer requirements, as TIL understands that machine uptime directly affects customer profitability. Thus, the products are designed to integrate seamlessly into the operations, maintaining quality and ensuring reliability. 

With an extensive Pan-India network, real-time feedback is gathered, which helps to enhance the safety verification processes and ensure that TIL cranes remain functional even in adverse operational conditions.

Embracing the Future

With four robust verticals—automotive, specialised steel, hydraulics, and electrical electronics—TIL continues to develop its engineering prowess while maintaining an edge over competitors that is hard to match. TIL Limited is not just a machine manufacturer; rather, an organisation that brings together trust, technology, and tradition all under one roof, maintaining an unwavering presence and designing machines that are going to be instrumental in nation-building.

Over the next 5-10 years, the material handling equipment industry will be undergoing significant transformations. India is poised to become a manufacturing hub for the entire world. Along with Indian manufacturers growing every year, more and more global players are shifting their manufacturing base to India. This will result in more automation, innovation and digitalisation, leading to improved efficiency, precision, safety and enriched customer experience. Consistent growth in capacity will reduce dependence on imports and push the export of Indian made world class machines.

Looking at the growing demand for equipment that is designed to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency, TIL’s vision is to incorporate advanced digital technologies that enhance operational safety and efficiency. Moreover, with the integration of IoT and data analytics, this approach will significantly drive a digital transformation across the industry. 

For more details visit: www.tilindia.in