The contract follows a tender that was initiated by the Indian army in 2009. Tata was one of five bidders, and bagged the order for over 1,200 army trucks together with 8tm Hiab 088 loader cranes. The trucks as well as the cranes had to undergo extensive tests and trials in various environmental conditions for a number of years, after which Tata and Hiab emerged as winners.

S Srinivas, Hiab GBO India says: "Hiab has been working a long time with this Indian Army project and we are delighted that the HIAB cranes were chosen after having undergone stringent testing".

The HIAB 088 series are designed for rough operations and the cranes that will be delivered for Tata Motors were adapted to meet the army’s requirements. The trucks and cranes will be used for transportation and loading/unloading of pallets, spares and other operational equipment.