Aggcon invests in heavy lift crane fleet

Indian rental company Aggcon is investing between €15 and €22.5 million in heavy lift XCMG cranes in support of wind turbine erection projects.

Aggcon, which is based in Faridabad, close to New Delhi in northern India, is adding 600 and 800 tonne capacity crawlers, a 750 tonne all terrain, and 250, 400 and 500 tonne capacity truck cranes.

Jitender Aggarwal, founder and chairman of Indian rental company Aggcon. (Photo: IRN)

The order comprises 18 cranes. Nine were delivered in March this year, comprising five 250 tonne capacity crawler cranes, two 400 tonne crawlers, and two 500 tonne all terrain cranes.

A second lot of nine cranes will be delivered from September/October onwards. These are 250, 400, 600 and 800 tonne capacity crawlers, plus 750 tonne all terrains.

Jitender Aggarwal, founder, chairman and managing director of Aggcon, speaking to International Rental News, said there was a great demand for equipment in India, with investment in renewables, public infrastructure such as high-speed rail, and the construction of gigafactories.

“Everybody is looking for machines”, said Aggarwal, “and many projects are in the pipeline. We entered the crane industry two years ago, and now we have 70 cranes.”

The company has a diverse rental fleet including 52 piling rigs – “the largest in India” - excavators, graders, vibratory rollers, cranes, telehandlers and wheeled loaders.

Aggarwal said his strategy was to create “a rental ‘general store’, a supermarket where you can rent a mix of equipment.”

He added that the company was interested in acquiring a small rental company in Europe as part of its international strategy.

He said the company, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, is taking its corporate social responsibilities seriously. It plants more than 1500 trees every year and sponsors education for the children of more than 500 of its employees.

Aggarwal is also interested in creating an employee exchange scheme with rental companies around the world; “It would be like a school exchange programme, where employees learn about other cultures, business ideas. It could be very helpful.”

See also below for an interview with the company, from March this year.

Interview: Aggcon MD on India’s rental market Jitender Aggarwal on rental strategy and growth plans