Opinion: Construction & infrastructure business to make a strong comeback

The construction & infrastructure sector will make a strong comeback to support the revival of the Indian economy, says TONY VAN HERBRUGGEN

This is an exceptional year for the business and the pandemic has impacted various industries worldwide. The construction & infrastructure sector has also been significantly impacted during this period.

The project implementation costs may go up and will experience a likely delay of a few months. However, the Unlock 1.0 phase had provided ease to businesses for re-starting and operating the projects that they were handling before the lockdown.

Priority must, therefore, be given to the clearance of pending projects and execution of projects nearing completion, which could act as a quick win for reviving the economy. Notwithstanding the hurdles, the lockdown has also provided the construction industry ease to work on the projects that were difficult to conduct on normal days due to the intensity of the everyday human movement.

At Atlas Copco, our focus continues to be the safety of our employees and our customers. We have taken the necessary steps to ensure social distancing and hygiene norms in both of our Chakan and Dapodi production facilities in Pune. As manufacturers of world-class portable air compressors, light towers and handheld tools, we maintain the highest norms for employee care while also ensuring our equipment meets the quality and performance that our customers have come to know and expect.

Besides, our service team follows strict pre-defined standard operating procedures (SOPs) for on-site visits, which are necessary to ensure our portable air compressors and light towers are always up and running. We also manage service requests remotely wherever possible with our Power Connect mobile app. The app is designed to support customers online with the help of parts manuals and step-by-step assistance over the internet or phone.

We expect staggering growth in the short-term but anticipate a stable and growing industry demand in the long-term. The relief packages introduced by the Central Government will also help in boosting the economy and provide a positive direction to the industry.

The construction & infrastructure sector in India is very important as it contributes to around 60 per cent of the total investments; it will make a strong comeback to support the economic revival. We very hopefully look forward to projects getting kick-started giving us continued opportunities to touch lives and improve the infrastructure needs of people in India.

Tony Van Herbruggen is General Manager, Power Technique Business Area at Atlas Copco India Ltd.