1 hr ago
Ammann India Calls for PLI Boost in Road Equipment
Ammann India makes machines used to build roads.
Its managing director said India should use the PLI scheme to encourage companies to make more road equipment and important parts locally.
Some parts, such as hydraulic pumps and engine injectors, are still difficult to source from Indian suppliers.
He said some Ammann products are already almost or completely made in India.
The West Asia crisis caused shortages of bitumen, a material used in roads.
These shortages forced some construction sites to close or work more slowly.
Road construction also slowed in 2024 and 2025.
However, India will still need roads and machines to repair existing highways.
Panda said many road problems come from how designs are carried out, not from the basic designs themselves.
Ammann India MD Dheeraj Panda urged the government to expand the Production Linked Incentive scheme to road construction equipment.
He said India lacks a strong domestic supply chain for precision components such as hydraulic pumps and engine injectors.
Panda said the West Asia crisis caused bitumen shortages and temporary construction-site closures, with activity still below pre-March levels.
He said highway construction slowed in 2024 and 2025, but road-building and maintenance will continue supporting equipment demand.
Panda argued that road quality problems largely reflect poor execution rather than shortcomings in India’s road-design principles.
- Who
- Dheeraj Panda, managing director of Ammann India, and the Indian road construction equipment industry.
- What
- Panda called for stronger implementation of the Production Linked Incentive scheme to support complete domestic manufacturing of road equipment and precision components.
- Where
- India, with comments made at bauma CONEXPO INDIA 2026.
- When
- The comments were made at bauma CONEXPO INDIA 2026; the article also discusses industry conditions in 2024 and 2025.
- Why
- To strengthen India’s vendor base, improve domestic manufacturing and support the road equipment sector after construction slowdowns and supply disruptions.
Stronger Industrial Support
Current Industry Assessment
Role of the PLI scheme
Stronger Industrial Support
Panda said PLI should be accelerated and expanded to help companies design and manufacture complete road equipment and precision components in India.
Current Industry Assessment
He also said PLI has helped sectors such as electronics but has not yet worked very effectively in construction equipment manufacturing.
Domestic manufacturing capability
Stronger Industrial Support
India already has a vendor ecosystem and is improving its ability to indigenise road equipment, according to Panda.
Current Industry Assessment
India still lacks the quality components, research and development capabilities and precision-component supply chain needed for full-value-chain manufacturing.
Road-sector outlook
Stronger Industrial Support
India still needs additional highways and rural connectivity, while existing roads will require maintenance, supporting future demand for road equipment.
Current Industry Assessment
Highway construction slowed in 2024 and 2025, and the sector remains affected by the aftermath of bitumen shortages and site closures.
Key facts
- Company
- Ammann India, a subsidiary of the Swiss-based Ammann Group
- Executive quoted
- Dheeraj Panda, managing director of Ammann India
- PLI assessment
- Panda said the scheme has not yet worked effectively enough for construction equipment manufacturing.
- Product localisation
- Localisation is 100% for some mechanical pavers and about 90-93% for some Value Tech series products.
- Component gap
- India lacks a fully developed domestic vendor base for precision components including hydraulic pumps and engine injectors.
- Highway construction
- Panda said the government built an average of nearly 7,000 kilometres of highway annually over the last 10 years.
- Recent disruption
- Bitumen shortages linked to the West Asia crisis caused site closures and reduced operations at some locations.
Quotes
Dheeraj Panda
Managing director of Ammann India
“We did face a negative impact. The bitumen shortages led to site closures. Some of them were running at half the load. It is apparently back to normal, but the overall sentiment, the positivity or the kind of work that we had pre-March are yet to be seen.”
indianexpress.com
“The government has built an average of nearly 7,000 kilometers of highway per year for the last 10 years. So, there are about 70,000 kilometers that will need asphalt plants or pavers to maintain it.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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