THE EARTH IS FLAT

Road compaction and repair equipment has come a long way. Read on to know

- MOLLY R

Massive road development work for huge road network of the country’s national assets is essential for overall development of the country. However, major road development projects consume a huge quantity of soil and crushed aggregates. The consumption of these materials will continue for years to come as more road networks need to be designed and developed. Hence, sustainable road construction practices need to be adopted in reconstructing and rehabilitating the pavements to meet the functional and structural requirements of pavements.

The Indian construction and engineering industry is poised for significant growth with a projected expansion of 6.6% in real terms. As part of the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti Master Plan, worth $1.3 trillion, India’s infrastructure development will play a crucial role in driving economic growth over the next several decades. This presents both opportunities and challenges for players in the industry, as they strive to win bids and deliver quality projects on time in a highly competitive market.

The Centre’s capital expenditure on road transport and highways for April-November 2022 stood at Rs 1.49 lakh crore, up from Rs 0.74 lakh crore in the same period a year ago, as per The Economic Survey 2022-23. The Indian construction equipment industry recorded 26% growth YoY with sales crossing the one lakh unit mark in FY2022-23. CE sales in Q4 of FY23 (Jan-Mar 2023) increased by 23% over Q4-FY22 and by 22% over Q3-FY23. On a month-on-month basis, sales in March 2023 increased by 17% over February 2023.

Coming specifically to road compacting or repair machines, it is perhaps showing most action now considering the massive roads & highways construction going on. So what's happening?