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In this interaction with Niranjan Mudholkar, VS Hardikar, Director, Aquarius Technologies Pvt Ltd recounts his company’s journey briefly vis-a-vis the changing market scenario
“Our journey into the construction equipment industry began with flooring machines,” says VS Hardikar, Director, Aquarius Technologies Pvt Ltd starting off the conversation. “We started working as distributors of a Swedish company called Tremix. That relationship has gone a few steps further. Subsequently, we got into a technical collaboration with Tremix and started manufacturing some of their machines in India in 1991,” he says. The Company’s manufacturing facility is located in Satara and it is more or less designed on the lines of the Tremix facility in Sweden.
“We started with the Tremix Vaccum Dewatering System. The local production gradually moved towards indigenisation. Today, we are around 96-97% indigenised. Only a few components that are uneconomical to make here are imported from Sweden,” adds Mr Hardikar. It took about four years to indigenise the machines. “Subsequent to that we started adding a lot of new things including modifications in our machine as well as introducing new machine models,” he says.
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Aquarius has also been introducing new products. “Customer requirements were going up with regards to output and quality - so we introduced new products offering better production and accuracy in terms of floor flatness and floor levelness. For example, the laser guided screeding machine,’ he says. “When we introduced Tremix, it used to be considered a high output machine with about 150-200 sq m per day of flooring area.
Today, a laser machine would give you about 2000 sq m. Of course, site support is still to catch up,” Mr Hardikar explains. Aquarius also had to introduce other machines to match with the output as other associated operations too had to be brought to the same level.
Speaking about the market scenario, Mr Hardikar says the industry is changing now. “Today the largest flooring is being done in warehouses rather than actual factory buildings. In and around Mumbai, they are constructing warehouses like there is no tomorrow. The market in the North has growing rapidly in the last six years or so. It has been pushed by the entry (or plans of entry) of overseas retail players like Walmart, Tesco, etc.
These players have brought their own specifications bringing radical change in the market. Our work culture too has undergone great changes,” he explains. With opportunities, competition too is growing. The other key players in this business are Multiquip, Wacker Neuson and Dynapac.
“We are also into some other equipment - partly as a result of market demand, partly because we also wanted to diversify. These include equipment for runway maintenance, runway markings, machines for removal of rubber deposits from the runway, etc. We also supply machines for testing of pavement classification numbers (PCN) and also undertake their maintenance contract. There are only three such machines in India (two supplied by us) that service several of our airports,” he adds.
Aquarius also has highway marking machines and kerb laying machines besides being the distributor for Graco, global leader in fluid handling systems and components. With timetables getting shorter, project sizes getting bigger and with a serious scarcity of skilled labour, the industry has become very demanding.
“From the equipment industry’s perspective, it is not just about introducing new products. One needs to understand the new technology from the Indian perspective. One has to take care to consolidate on essential aspects like training our engineers and technicians in understanding new techniques as well as new processes,” he says on the parting note.
Aquarius portfolio
Vacuum dewatering system
Surface vibrators
Skimfloaters / power trowels
Concrete finishing tools
Plate compactor
Road marking machine
Mortar spraying machine
Material conveying machine
Surface preparation machine
Construction lasers & receivers
Laser machine control system
Kerb laying machine
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COMMENT
Excellent Interview!