Q. What is the idea behind ‘Infra Customer Meet’?
It is very important for SANY to have a platform where the latest developments, technologies and innovations can be sharedwith the construction and rental companies, and also with the end users who are executing these large projects and fulfilling the infra dreams of government and people alike. This platform also provides an opportunity to understand the latest trends as in demand for construction equipment and provide insights on how Sany can enhance their competitiveness through improvement in their efficiencies and cost structure of the projects.
Q. Due to COVID-19, several industries are now using new technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, etc. How is the construction and infrastructure industry using these technologies? Does it affect the industry or employment?
Yes, the construction equipment industry is using technology in a very big way. Today we can see that all the equipment that is made and sold in India has got internet connectivity for getting data about the equipment's performance. Customers have access to that data on a daily basis or it is available to customers through portals. Such data is being utilised by customers on a daily basis to improve the efficiency of their operations. The construction equipment industry is working very aggressively to further improve the AI so that customers will be able to get a complete analysis of the data and pro-active signals to improve performance. In the future, they will have a pro-active mechanism of getting information about their products and of course, they will get pro-active signals through this AI. So, that’s what the companies and industries are working on.
Impact on employment: It will have an impact on employment. You will see a lot of employment being generated in the AI, IT and also Technology sector in R & D. There's a lot of employment but all of this requires a higher level of skills as well. So, when we develop some new technologies, we need better skills and knowledge. Moving forward, I think as a society we will develop ourselves onto a much higher level.
Q. How has been SANY’s journey during the COVID period and after the lockdown?
It has been quite challenging but with our wide product range, technology and team coupled with the trust and confidence of our customers, we have sailed through quite well. We were able to manage the COVID time very well in terms of business, of course. As a company, we contributed a lot towards managing COVID and also to the society in a larger way by proactively participating and contributing in COVID relief activities. Each of our team members contributed a lot in terms of their personal efforts, time and supporting the communities in their respective areas.
Q. We have already had so many debates on women empowerment. So, what is SANY doing for women empowerment or to encourage women?
That’s one of favourite topic I spoke about day before yesterday also. When I joined SANY, we used to see merely 3 women sitting on International Women’s Day. This time, I saw it 20 times that number. I think it is very important for women to be an integral part of the construction equipment sector. That’s our dream also. I would ideally like to have at least 20% of SANY’s workforce as women. It is a bit challenging because we are in the infrastructure segment and people think that this is not the most preferred sector for women. There are lots of advantages, and this also gives the right to equality to everybody, even women, in our business. So, we will look forward to that.
