Caterpillar – the leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment – has announced the launch of its Next Generation Excavators Cat 320D3 and Cat 323D3 from its Thiruvallur manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu, India.

After a successful launch of four products in December 2017, the company’s Next Generation 20-tonne class excavators are launched with an aim to cater to the Indian construction industry.

The government has launched several projects with ambitious targets to develop infrastructure in India. Key among them is the approval of the $100 billion (Rs 7 trillion) road construction plan to develop 83,000 km highways by 2022, including the $ 80 billion (Rs 5.35 trillion) Bharatmala project. Fuelled with this renewed emphasis, construction of national highways hit an all-time high of about 10,000 km (which translates to 28 km a day) in the financial year ending on March 2018.

The Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (ICEMA) expects the construction equipment industry to reach $5 billion by 2020, with sales of excavators growing about 20 per cent, according to Off-Highway Research.

“To cater to the demand of our customers for a more reliable and more powerful heavy-duty excavator equipped with state-of-the-art technology, higher productivity, lower fuel consumption and lower maintenance costs, we have launched these two Next Generation 20-tonne size class excavators, Cat 320D3 and Cat 323D3 here today,” said Gurman Reen, Director, Sales & Marketing, Caterpillar India.

The new 320D3 fits road contractor’s and construction customers’ demand for low owning and operating costs. The 320D3 consumes 15 per cent less fuel than its predecessor 320D2 and shows 5 per cent lower maintenance cost with much lower owning and operating costs. The new 323D3 is built to endure the toughest job on the site with the 1.2 cu.m severe duty bucket. To further customer advantage, the excavators come with simple, easy to maintain, robust systems to keep them running all day, every day.

GMMCO and Gainwell Commosales Pvt Ltd (GCPL, formerly TIPL) are two dealers in India with a total of over 230 outlets and more than 1350 Field Service Technicians. There are 19 Caterpillar parts distribution centres that serve India for the best-in-class service experience of customers. The new excavators are launched with service response time assurance for high machine uptime.

“The advanced features combined with exciting launch offers of extended warranty, financing options, rental solutions, customer service agreements and our unmatched dealer product support capability would be a sure delight to customers,” said H. Jayaram, Managing Director & CEO, GMMCO and Sunil Chaturvedi, Chairman and Managing Director, GCPL.

“We are optimistic about the pace of infrastructure development here in India and we will continue to offer the best of our technologies and experience to meet the unique demands of our customers in India”, said John Fallows, Managing Director – Global Construction Industries – AP+.

Caterpillar has been active in India since 1930’s and its machines have built everything from roads and airports to pipelines and buildings. The company believes it is uniquely positioned to partner in India’s growth story with its unrivalled global experience in project implementation and manufacturing. The company has state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Thiruvallur and Hosur, Tamil Nadu; Aurangabad and Banda, Maharashtra, some of which are manufacturing machines for exports. The Divisional offices are in Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Caterpillar also has a long history of equipping its machines with leading-edge technology to increase safety, productivity and efficiency. In line with the commitment to usher in the “Age of Smart Iron” and to make best use of technology, the newly-launched Cat 320D3 and Cat 323D3 come equipped with Cat Product Link telematics system. Cat Product Link is a robust cellular based asset monitoring solution. It enables powerful tools to transform data from an entire fleet into essential information required to boost productivity, reduce costs and manage risks.

“We want our customers, big and small, to be more successful using Cat products. Caterpillar does this by offering solutions beyond its machines by combining services and technology, such as data analytics and automation. These combined offerings enable our customers to better manage and track projects, monitor safety and performance and measure productivity,” said Giacomo Bottone, Worldwide Medium Excavator Product Manager, Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar: confidential green
For over 90 years, Caterpillar Inc., has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. Customers turn to the company to help them develop infrastructure, energy and natural resource assets.

With 2017 sales and revenues of $45.462 billion, the company is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. It operates through its three primary segments – construction industries, resource industries and energy & transportation, and also provides financing and related services through its financial products segment.

Active in India since the 1930s, the company together with its dealers, employs more than 11,000 people in India, representing nearly every part of Caterpillar’s business. The manufacturer’s India presence includes state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, high-tech research and development, as well as numerous global support organisations. Caterpillar employees, dealers and facilities are located at hundreds of locations to serve and support our customers and respond quickly to their needs.