Page 44 - Construction_Opportunities_January_2026

INTERACTION POST-EXCON Which are the sectors you think will drive your business going

forward?
(GR): If you see the last 10 years’ growth in our construction
equipment, most of the work has happened in roads, national
highways, etc., which is right now has become a little lesser but
it’s all expected to pick up soon. There is a lot of the growth,
national highways, which drives the requirement for sand, which
drives the requirement for aggregates, which is the reason why
our excavators sell in the quarries. While that will continue to grow,
there will be further emphasis now on state, rural roads also which
are just untapped.
India has one of the largest road networks in the world but
what we have done so far is only touch the national highways,
and expressways. So there is a lot more work to be done in the
decades to come. Like Nicole said, we are here with for long
term commitment. And then if you look at our coastline, 7,500
kilometers, and look at the number of ports we have today and
how much port expansion is needed, those will drive so much
that our dealers are willing to give to the customers. It is called demand for machinery, whatever we build, loaders or excavators,
CVA - Customer Value Agreement. When th ecusotmer signs this larger excavators, port handling equipment. So there will be so
CVA, they will get a commitment for either the parts availability much, and then you need something to load material onto the
or machine uptime. These are the two things we are working on wagon, there will be equipment required over there as well. More
which will couple with these machines and that will make the life, housing, you have smart cities, and you have all these smart
the full circle complete for our customers. Apart from that, as part second-tier, third-tier cities coming up. All these are expected to
of any NPI readiness, we ensure parts availablility. Before we even drive the demand for more equipment.
launch these machines, parts, whatever is needed in repair and When an infrastructure is built, it requires cement, cement requires
maintenance are already stocked at our centers and in our dealer limestone, limestone requires quarries, limestone quarries.
branches. So, we ensure the readiness. Limestone quarries requires Excavators, loaders and trucks. So I
can go on and on, but I see no end to the potential. It’s limitless.
[NL]: I would say that we always say Caterpillar dealer globally is It’s up to us how much we get out of it. The industry is going to
our competitive advantage. In India, it’s the same because our be there.
dealers are long lasting and we believe strongly that the product
support needs time to invest and also needs time to have all these What steps has your organization taken in terms of embedding
capabilities in place. That is besides the mechanical capability, sustainability, cleaner technologies into your products and
and digital capability now that we are all building upon. We systems?
continue to build up the system advantage caterpillar already [NL]: Globally, sustainability is an area we focus very much. Our
has and then we add up the digital to bring more efficiency and objective is to help our customers reach their sustainability goals
make more proactive engagement with the customer. Today, we through advanced technology and equipment which operates
have VisionLink, we have CAT Central. Those are all the customer on alternative fuels. For example, the three new machines - Cat
facing applications. Customers can just log in those systems and 321, Cat 322 and Cat 324 Hydraulic Excavators – represent a
they can see their machine condition, fuel consumption, as well strategic leap forward in delivering sustainable, digital-ready
as order any parts required. These are not new. It’s just that we are solutions built for India’s rapidly evolving construction landscape.
releasing a new product and we are taking it to the next level. These new models are designed to meet the demands of modern
infrastructure projects, offering improved fuel efficiency, advanced
What is your assessment for the potential of the market with these control systems, and reduced emissions. All these features
new three products? And how do you see the trends for 2026 and represent Caterpillar’s commitment to leveraging technology
going forward? and innovation to improve sustainability of products, services,
(GR): I think that in India we have strong confidence. If we talk and solutions for customers. Every product and service get one
about the growth in India in the past few years is astonishing step closer to fulfilling the purpose of building a better, more
and we have strong confidence that the growth in the future will sustainable world.
continue. It’s the same across different segments. As Caterpillar, a In addition, Caterpillar believes in the power of responsibility.
leading brand, we strongly believe in India and remain committed Through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs
to our custoerms in this region. That’s why we are focusing on implemented by Caterpillar, subsidiaries and the Caterpillar
understanding the local customer requirements and ensure that foundation, we make significant contributions to advance the
our product and solution meet their needs. We believe in the future health, welfare, and economic stability of the communities
of India and also that the commitment from the company is there where we live and work. Numerous initiatives across three key
to continually grow. areas — Environment, Education, and Employability — are being

44 CONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES|JANUARY 2026