Scania sees boom in mining, launches tipper with SSAB body at Excon

Swedish heavy-duty vehicle major Scania said it is pinning its hopes on the booming Indian mining sector for its truck and tipper business in the country. The company has launched its P 410 (8x4) SSAB rock body tipper for mining applications at the ongoing Excon 2015, an international construction equipment trade fair, in Bangalore. Scania has also showcased its special aftermarket customer support applications and services like Fleet Management Service (FMS), Scania lubricants and other genuine parts at Excon 2015.

According to Anders Grundströmer, managing director, Scania India and senior vice-president, Scania Group, output from mines, especially the coal sector, will double in the coming years. The mining output will almost double to a billion tonnes in the next five years from the current 550 million tonnes.

The premium truck segment in the mining sector has been growing in recent years. This year the Indian premium truck market will touch 2,000 units.

Looking at the current pace, the heavy duty truck segment will expand from the current 160,000 units to 300,000 units by 2020, of which 5 percent will be the premium segment. The premium truck market is likely to touch 12,000-20,000 units in the next five years with the expected boom continuing in the mining industry.

Grundströmer said the Scania P 410 tippers are the most sought after products by leading mining companies in India. The P 410 8x4 tippers are equipped with innovative features like Scania Opticruise, a fully automated gear changing system for best fuel efficiency and ease of driving, and Idle Shutdown, an optional feature that further strengthens the Total Operating Economy by lowering fuel consumption.

The P 410 8x4 tipper equipped with 20 m3 SSAB rock body, which was launched in Excon 2015 and currently undergoing trial runs in the Indian mining sector, has been developed by SSAB, one of the world’s leading producers of high strength steel. It comes with significantly lower weight than the current offerings in the market; hence with its increased load carrying capacity customers get significantly higher productivity, added Grundströmer.

Scania has been selling its off-road trucks through Larsen & Toubro and the tie-up will continue in India, he noted.

He also said the company has been increasing local content both in its truck and buses manufactured at its manufacturing facility in Narasapura Industrial Estate. When the company commenced local manufacturing operations, the company had 20 suppliers. Today it has grown to 114 suppliers and further it will expand to 150 vendors by next year, he said.

Scania has manufactured 100 buses at its Narasapura facility since commencing bus production in March this year. The company is producing them at a rate of one bus per day. Taking into account all the annual working days, Scania is set to manufacture around 250 buses a year. The company will increase this to 350 buses per annum by next year.