India on the verge

Despite having extended the available exhibition space to 150,000 sq m, from 88,000 sq m at the first show in 2011, the organizers say that bC India 2013 is already almost fully booked. Thomas Löffler, CEO of bC Expo India, says: "Many companies have booked more space than at the first event. That shows the high regard bC India already enjoys among exhibitors."

One new exhibitor is JCB India, which in recent years has started production of the pick and carry cranes so popular in the country. Amit Gossain, VP, marketing and business development, says: "We are excited to participate in the bC India exhibition and look forward to presenting new innovations from JCB at the show."

Many established crane builders have been building their presence in the country, and will be exhibiting at the show. These include Kobelco, which recently started building cranes in the country; Terex, which has an extensive manufacturing campus building a range of construction equipment; and Manitowoc, which has long-established relationships in the country, for both mobile and tower cranes.

Shushmul Maheshwari, representative of the Research Company RNCOS, says that India's construction equipment market has plenty of scope for growth: "India, as the world's seventh largest country by area and second biggest by population, is one of the most dynamically growing, but largely untapped construction equipment markets.

"In recent years, the country has witnessed massive investment in the construction industry from both public and private enterprises. Multi-billion dollar investments in constructing roads, ports and power plants, and developing telecommunication sector and urban infrastructure have paved the way for the construction equipment demand to grow phenomenally. "Industry experts predict the market will grow even faster in coming years. From 2010 to 2020 it is estimated to grow six times, to a size of $20-25bn."

One of the drivers of growth will be the Indian government's ongoing dedication to the development of the country's road network. After a slowdown in road projects in 2011, the road construction sector in India picked up in 2012. The National Highway Authority of India awarded about 4,375km of road contracts in the first nine months of 2012, as against 4,553km during 2011, 3,338km during 2010 and 643km in 2009. The third quarter of 2012 itself saw about 1,898km of projects being awarded.

For contractors struggling to keep up with the pace of the country's growth, across all sectors, bC India promises to be an ideal opportunity to find out about the latest equipment innovations.