Terex AWP India, driven by its Genie brand, marked its 15-year milestone of ‘Building the Future’ in India. As a leading manufacturer of aerial work platforms (AWP) in the region, Genie has built a strong presence in India through industry leadership, customer input and innovation, offering products and solutions that solve aerial worksite challenges.

 

Genie entered the India market in 2004, when the country was experiencing rapid economic growth. During this time, the construction sector received greater attention from the government as a result of the urgent need to develop infrastructure to meet the country’s aggressive economic aspirations.

 

“At a time when the construction industry was relying heavily on traditional scaffolding, the Genie TZ-50 trailer-mounted boom lift was introduced to the Indian market as an alternative method of working at height. TATA Chemicals saw the potential of our machine and bought one for their plant maintenance work through our first local dealer, Maco Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd. As Genie introduced more products with advantages over scaffolding, the market acceptance grew rapidly. Driven by demand in 2009, Genie set up its local operations in India,” said Daniel Ho, Vice President, Asia, Terex AWP.

 

The AWP rental business in India took off in 2010. Chennai-based Sendhamarai Engineering Private Limited saw a lot of potential for AWPs in a booming construction sector. Recognising the opportunity, they became a Genie dealer in 2014. Today, Sendhamarai has a fleet of new Genie equipment, driving customers’ expectation for safe use and performance.

 

Multiple infrastructure projects built the Genie brand’s reputation

When Delhi secured the 2010 Commonwealth Games, it brought about another surge in infrastructure construction as the city prepared stadiums, airports and other buildings for the event. This quickly brought the Genie brand to the forefront of the industry’s attention, as these projects demanded increased productivity and equipment safe use when working at height. As many as 50 Genie machines were deployed to construction projects, throughout the event’s venues, which further strengthened relationships between Genie and its two key local dealers, Maco and Sendhamarai.

 

In 2015, the Jamnagar Refinery Project in Gujarat carried out expansion works, which included the development of the 415 acre of township within the Special Economic Zone. “The development projects required AWPs that could reach heights greater than 100 ft. Large Genie boom lifts were well suited for the job. Around 150 large booms were deployed and used through the completion of the project. Since then, Genie AWPs have become an established necessity in all infrastructure projects,” said Ho.

 

FDI catalysed further demand for Genie

Around the same time, the Indian government also increased its Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) upper limit from 29 per cent to 49 per cent as part of its ‘Make In India’ initiative. There was a 48 per cent increase in the FDI inflow to $31 billion, which brought about another surge to the construction sector.

 

Foreign companies from Korea, Japan and Europe, who traditionally place a lot of emphasis on safety, coming into the country were already familiar with the safety and productivity advantages of Genie AWPs. As they established their businesses in country, they wanted to continue receiving the high level of customer support that Genie is known for globally. Using Genie machines in their operations in India became a natural choice.

 

“Genie and our dealers were involved in the construction of the manufacturing plants of market leaders. This includes tech giant Samsung in Noida, and automotive brands Kia and Ford in Andra Pradesh and Gujarat, respectively. Together, we also played a critical role in the building of metro rail tracks across the country, as well as construction within the steel industry under Tata Steel,” said Ho.

 

Genie continues ‘Building The Future’

According to forecasts, the construction sector in India is expected to be buoyant over the next 20 years, with $650 billion investments in urban infrastructure — India’s construction market is expected to rank third globally by 2030. “At Terex AWP India, we continue to support our customers by strengthening our local team and growing relationships with our dealers in tandem with the construction sector’s aggressive growth for the next decade and beyond. With the 15-year milestone, Genie looks forward to continuing its legacy of productivity and promoting safe work at height as we reaffirm our mission of building the future of India. The Genie brand will continue to offer new technologies, products and solutions that enhance safe work practices and productivity on aerial jobsites,” said James Barr, Genie Vice President, APAC, Terex AWP.