JCB India : "Acceleration of Project Execution and Delivery is the Need of the Hour"

Says Mr. Amit Gossain, EVP – Marketing, Business Development and Corporate Affairs, JCB India in his interaction with S.A.Faridi.


According to CE industry, what would be the task ahead for the new government, particularly arresting a market decline of around 20% in CE volume business, which is not only hampering the growth of the industry but also resulting in declining revenues for the CE companies? What would be JCB India Wish list to enabling companies to navigate successfully through choppy waters?
To bring the Indian economy back on the targeted growth trajectory, the New Government will have to act fast and resolve some underlying issues. The Government will have to ensure acceleration in project execution. A strong mechanism is needed to make sure that projects that have being approved by Central government and have achieved financial closure are being executed. Creating a regulatory body for individual project categories can help streamline end-to-end coordination.

There is a need for uniform policies on compensation, relocation, and rehabilitation for projects that require significant amounts of land. In August 2013, the government showed its strong intent to streamline the process by passing the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, although successful implementation on the ground is yet to be seen.

Other than that, adoption of innovative operating and business models will help in overcoming many hurdles. For example, cost recovery and collection efficiency for water payments have significantly improved in countries that deploy prepaid water cards, such as South Africa.

Draft Public Authority (settlement of disputes) Bill 2013 which seeks to setup an Institutional mechanism that can provide speedy resolution of disputes related to public contracts, or PPP (public-private partnership) project ID another initiative from the Government.

There are some critical sector specific issues which need to be addressed, especially if we are to realize the true potential of Public - Private - Partnerships. Firstly, the Government should ensure that all projects are awarded to the Private sector only after securing key sovereign clearances and the Government should look at setting up an independent PPP Commission for PPP regulations.

What is the current status of setting up JCB's fourth Greenfield facility in Jaipur? By which date the new facility is expected to go on stream and its manufacturing mandate? How this will enable JCB India to be as one stop CE Solution Company in the domestic as well as overseas market?
In March 2014, JCB showcased the new JCB manufacturing facility in Jaipur which is JCB's fourth - and the largest - facility in India. The two plants are in the final stages of construction in Jaipur, Rajasthan, with a combined floor space of over 700,000 square feet. We will initially begin with Fabrications and will continue to upscale its production facilities as per the market requirements.

Indian Infrastructure market offers enormous potential in the coming years for the Indian Construction Equipment industry and with the upcoming Jaipur facilities, the idea is to meet the growing demand for Construction Equipment and to strengthen JCB'sposition as a market leader in the Indian market.

What are JCB India's plans to strengthen its pan India presence through development innovative dealership system to fast track its 24x7 technical support services? Please tell us something about your new initiative card '3S Dealers' facilities.
JCB India is committed to provide the best customer experience to the customers' right from the point of machine purchase and that is the reason we have developed the finest distribution network in the country. Today, we have 575 outlets and we will continue to expand our reach. Like JCB, which is a family owned organization; our dealers are also family owned businesses with whom we have developed a long-term relationship on the basis of mutual trust and understanding.

Our dealer principals are extremely committed to providing unparalleled support to the customers and therefore, run a dealer service van which offers 24x7 assistance to our customers in case of a machine breakdown across India. Currently, our dealers employ over 7000 people in India out of which over 4500 look after 'after sales support' and are regularly trained by JCB India to ensure they are always abreast with the latest in the industry.

Strategic investments have been made by our dealers in establishing world-class infrastructure/facilities, which are at par with global standards. The 3S Facilities are ones which are fully equipped with international standard servicing for JCB customers. These facilities have been made as per the JCB Corporate Identity norms and are equipped with JCB standardized systems to provide a one-stop solution for JCB customers.