FINER AND FINER

THE MACHINE TOOL MARKET IS EMERGING FROM DULL TIMES. THE LOCKDOWN HAS ALSO GIVEN COMPANIES TIME TO COME UP WITH A NEW APPROACH

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THE MACHINE TOOL SECTOR HAS BEEN ON edge for some time now. A critical sector to manufacturing, and one that is core to it, this sector needs a strong buoy to see it out of the depths. In fact, there are mixed feelings that emerge from the market. Last week, most four-, three- and two-wheeler manufacturers reported highest ever sales in October. Looks like the market is bouncing back with a vengeance. And rightly so.

Praful Shende, chief sales & marketing officer, BFW, says, “We have been seeing an uptick in sales since June. Though slow, it is better than April and May. I think this could be attributed to the resuming of operations in the automotive segment, especially in two-wheelers and tractors. In fact, we are quite close to pre-covid levels and that is a good sign.”

Besides automotive, times have shown the importance of investments in the healthcare infrastructure to meet contingencies, backed by the ability of the economy to sustain growth through other prominent sectors. Vijay Pratap Singh, head, motion control, digital industries, Siemens, says, “Everything related to medical care is growing for obvious reasons and medical equipment segment is no exception. Automotive also seems to be growing. The inventories at automotive dealerships had risen during the early days of the pandemic. However, in anticipation of the festive season, they believe it is the right time for them to start maintaining good stocks.”