Road building drives Indian grader sales

The motor grader market in India is expected to rise 24 percent over the next five years, a stunning improvement from the bottom of the cycle in 2013, when sales were less than a quarter of that 1,100-unit expected demand. The forecast follows a huge 54 percent leap in grader sales in 2016, and a near doubling of the market in 2015.

This is just one of the findings of a new report from specialist market intelligence and forecasting company Off-Highway Research. The recent growth in the market, and the bullish forecast for the coming five years is based on growing infrastructure investment in India and a recovery in mining.

“Sales of motor graders follow very closely the trends of expenditure on the construction of new roads and the maintenance of the road network, so demand for machines will largely depend on the speed at which existing and future road projects are executed. The backlog of pending road construction work in the country as well as the government’s ambitious infrastructure development plans, offer huge potential for growth in the motor grader demand.

“There is little doubt that the incumbent government has succeeded in increasing the pace of road construction and this trend is likely to continue. Future demand for bigger machines will be largely determined by the levels of activity in the mining sector, which is likely to grow in the coming years,” said the report.

Unlike many other types of construction equipment which are predominantly manufactured domestically, Off-Highway Research said that around half the motor graders sold in India are imported. It added that a total of 16 suppliers are active in the market, offering more than 35 different models in total.

The report is taken from Off-Highway Research's Indian Service. More details are available here. It is also available to buy as a stand-alone product. Click here for more details.