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Skid-steer loaders are niche products in India, with sales this year expected to total around 850 units, according to Off-Highway Research’s new report on the segment. Most applications are in construction, but machines are also bought by municipalities and for waste management, and there is some demand from industry. Purchase of skid-steer loaders by India’s armed forces has also been a factor in the past.

Off-Highway Research’s new report on the skid-steer loader industry in India said, “The perceptions of the skid-steer loader’s high price and the abundant availability of cheap manual labour are the main factors that continue to limit sales. Indian customers are very price sensitive and often prefer to buy a similarly (or slightly higher) priced popular machine, such as a backhoe loader that is regarded as offering greater versatility, so the skid-steer loader is still only used in niche applications.

“Manual labour has always been so cheap and plentiful that it has been very difficult to find many suitable applications for skid-steer loaders, but gradually the cost of labour has been increasing as availability declined. With a greater emphasis now placed on productivity and cost effectiveness, an increasing number of end-users are assessing the economics offered by the skid-steer loader.”

Off-Highway Research’s 64 page report on the skid-steer loader industry in the India is now available to subscribers to Off-Highway Research’s Indian Service. It is also available to buy on our online store. Click here for details.

It is believed to be the most detailed and in-depth report ever published on the subject, with analysis covering market size, market shares, market structure, production, distribution networks, equipment population, pricing, machines available and a five-year forecast.

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