"Tata Hitachi is a pioneer and a first mover in the compact excavator segment in India. The 2 Tonne TMX20 was the first indigenously designed and manufactured mini excavator in India almost decades back in the late 90s."
Q. What types of heavy equipment does Tata Hitachi offer in its product line?
Tata Hitachi’s comprehensive range of excavators includes 2 Tonne to 40 Tonne hydraulic excavators for the Infrastructure sector, 45 to 120 Tonne for the mining sector and the ultra-large 190 to 800 Tonne excavators for specialized heavy-duty mining. The ultra-large mining excavators are sourced from Hitachi Construction Machinery, Japan and have the option of being diesel or electric-driven, depending on the requirements of customers. These products, among others, are part of our latest EX Super+, PRIME series and the technologically advanced ZAXIS series. At Tata Hitachi, we understand that today, our customers realize that they need to be extremely competitive in the marketplace, and to be competitive, they need to reduce operating costs and improve efficiencies. Keeping the same in mind, Tata Hitachi has developed a two-pronged product strategy, one addressing the value segment and the premium segment.
The value segment:
The EX Super+ and PRIME Series excavators – combine advanced technology and low running costs, to enable a high return on investment. The superior design of products in this series ensures ease of serviceability leading to a less downtime for maintenance. This series comes with our telematics solution – InSite, which gives detailed data on the performance of the equipment at the job sites. These hydraulic excavators work in a wide variety of applications in various geographies across India commanding best-in-class resale value.
For the premium segment:
Tata Hitachi offers the ZAXIS series of machines – fitted with industry-leading hydraulic technology to ensure unbeatable performance, high fuel efficiency and high durability. These excavators provide impressive fuel economy, swift front movements and are easy to operate with industryleading cabin for operator comfort. Another highlight of this series is the optimized hydraulic system and the improved engine which showcase Hitachi’s technological prowess and expertise. Powered by ConSite : a next-generation service solution that utilizes Information Communication Technology (ICT ), to deliver monthly reports to customers. Tata Hitachi’s range of wheel loaders comprises the country’s first hydrostatic transmission 3 Tonne wheel loaders (TL 340H) and 5 Tonne (ZW 225) payload are being manufactured in India, and those beyond 5 Tonne, which are 7 Tonne (ZW 310-5A), 9-10 Tonne (ZW 370-5A), and 11- 12 Tonne (ZW 550-5A), are sourced from Hitachi Construction Machinery, Japan. Similarly, Tata Hitachi’s offering in excavators and wheel loaders are complemented by our indigenously designed and manufactured range of backhoe loaders – SHINRAI PRIME, PRO and Power 4 used in a wide range of applications across industries As far as dumpers are concerned, Hitachi manufactures AC drive dumpers of 190 Tonne (EH 3500 AC-3), 240 Tonne (EH 4000AC-3) and 290 Tonne (EH 5000AC-3) classes, which are sold and serviced in India by Tata Hitachi. Tata Hitachi recently introduced EH 3500AC-3 dumpers in coal mining applications.
Q. How does Tata Hitachi’s Mini Excavator range address the market’s need for compact and versatile machines?
Tata Hitachi is a pioneer and a first mover in the compact excavator segment in India. The 2 Tonne TMX20 was the first indigenously designed and manufactured mini excavator in India almost decades back in the late 90s. Apart from this, there are two other models offered: the ZX 23U and ZX 33U. These machines have been designed to offer solutions specially tailored for demanding Indian work conditions.
The newest addition to the company’s mini excavator range is Tata Hitachi NX30, which was unveiled in the Excon’21. The NX30 is an indigenously developed 3 Tonne Mini Excavator. Tata Hitachi mini excavators are designed to be used in a wide range of applications such as construction, infrastructure, agriculture, and utility equipment needs of our customers. Also, they are compatible with various attachments like rock breakers, auger, etc.
Q. What are the key features and benefits of Tata Hitachi’s Backhoe Loaders, and in which types of projects are they commonly used?
Tata Hitachi has been offering backhoe loader solutions to the Indian market for more than 20 years. Tata Hitachi offers a full range of backhoe loaders to cater to the market. Tata Hitachi offers two variants, namely the SHINRAI Pro 49HP Backhoe Loaders and the CEV-IV-compliant SHINRAI Prime and Power 4 of 74HP. SHINRAI Prime has multiple variants, like a loader version, an AC version, and a 4WD version. While SHINRAI Power 4 is standard 4WD, it has a 6in1 loader bucket, front wider tyres, 0.30CuM backhoe bucket, a long backhoe, and loader attachment. All SHINRAI models are offered with a variety of options, like rear general-purpose and heavyduty tyres, front wider tyres, standard and 6-in-1 loader bucket, general-purpose bucket, heavyduty backhoe bucket, trench bucket and ditch cleaning bucket. The major segment of the Indian backhoe loader market is hiring; hence, fuel consumption is the major criteria. Tata Hitachi’s SHINRAI PRIME and Power 4 series boost fuel efficiency with their EHS (Excellent Hydraulic System). SHINRAI Pro comes with a compact engine and variable displacement pump for high fuel efficiency, which is a key selling point for the Indian market. Apart from low fuel consumption, they also have high bucket forces, dump height, and good reach for customers looking at cost-effective performance and productivity. The new generation SHINRAI Pro incorporates a new fuel-efficient, reliable engine, an intelligent Optimum Hydraulic System OHS that provides great performance with fuel efficiency by using a variable displacement pump, and expert hydraulic flow optimisation to match high performance at lower fuel consumption. Also, all these machines have tracking features provided through INSITE. Tata Hitachi also offers a full range of attachments to work across applications like rental work, municipal work, garbage handling, crusher, hopper loading, quarrying, earthmoving, ditch cleaning, trenching, optical fibre laying, pipe laying, lifting, log handling, loading, unloading, road construction, well digging, and building construction, to name a few. SHINRAI Power 4 is designed for applications where the reach required is high and the terrain is difficult, like hilly terrain and mountainous regions. SHINRAI Prime is a standard backhoe loader suitable for all applications and jobs. SHINRAI Pro is suitable for rental businesses with the lowest ownership and operating costs. Hence, to meet these varied requirements, we offer a range of attachments like a jib crane, forklift, auger, rock breaker, quick coupler, mulcher, ripple tooth, grapple, dozer blade, booster loader bucket, long backhoe arm extension, hedge trimmer, trencher, and bale handler.
Q. What strategic initiatives or future projects is Tata Hitachi currently focusing on to further enhance its position in the heavy equipment industry?
With the country aspiring to cross the USD 5 trillion mark in the next few years, investment in infrastructure will play a very important role in the journey. The GDP is expected to grow at an average rate of ~6.3% per year from 2023 until 2028, as per the IMF.
The current National Infrastructure Pipeline targets an investment of 111 lakh crores (USD 1.5 trillion) in the period from April 24–25. Currently, the NIP already has a project pipeline of nearly USD 1.9 trillion, and hence, the implementation timeline of the NIP is expected to go beyond 24– 25. All this means sustained investment in infrastructure over the next 7 years and beyond. Further, the government has targeted net zero carbon emissions by 2070 with a reduction in carbon intensity of 45% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. Hence, the next decade will not only see sustained growth opportunities for CE but also a gradual transition into new energy requirements. We at Tata-Hitachi are very excited about this opportunity and are geared up to meet the requirements as well as take on the challenges that come along.
Our strategy for meeting the above is multipronged:
• Strengthen the channel network to get as close to our customers as possible for quick access to sales support as well as timely service and improved uptime of equipment in the face of a growing machine population.
• We will continue to invest in upgrading our products to be more productive and efficient.
• We have more such products in the pipeline, and they will be launched at the appropriate time.
• Given the customer’s requirements for versatility, we have introduced a large variety of variants and customised machines and will continue to innovate.
• We already have two manufacturing plants at Dharwad in Karnataka and Kharagpur in West Bengal, where we have invested a lot in manufacturing capability and will continue to invest incrementally to take advantage of the upcoming opportunities.
• Be future-ready with products that require alternate fuels and advanced technology in our machines as per customer demand.
In this direction, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Japan - our parent company - already has electric drive technology in their mini, midi excavator products and in large mining machinery. Therefore, we will be ready with appropriate new technology products in time to meet any requirement
