ZHODINO, 6 November (BelTA) – The Belarusian automobile engineering company BelAZ will step up presence on the Indian market, BelTA learned from Chairman of the Supervisory Board of OAO BelAZ – the holding company BelAZ, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich on 6 November.
The senator said: “BelAZ has penetrated the Indian market for the first time ever. The company won a tender for the delivery of 77 vehicles for mining coal in open quarries. It is a very important victory. We've been working towards it for at least seven years. India Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Belarus in 2020 upon the invitation of our head of state. So it is a pioneering project. It will expand opportunities for selling Belarusian machines, equipment, and vehicles on the Indian market.” The head of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament pointed out that the economy development pace in India is higher than that in China. India is a promising market.
Mikhail Myasnikovich also noted that the competition on the market of haul trucks is extremely tough these days. Manufacturers use various schemes to sell their products to customers, including leasing. A number of operations are outsourced.
According to Mikhail Myasnikovich, Belarus has not fully mastered these modern approaches, this is why manufacturers have to bear the main burden. Proposals to expand the available options for selling vehicles have been submitted to the central government on behalf of the BelAZ Supervisory Board. “For instance, we would like to offer better terms on preferential-rate loans to customers. We would like to offer discounts in some cases in order to win clients,” Mikhail Myasnikovich explained.
BelTA reported earlier that BelAZ will ship 77 vehicles to India as a result of the tender. The Belarusian company has contracted to deliver haul trucks of the BelAZ-75137 model with the carrying capacity of 136 tonnes to Coal India Limited. The vehicles will be used at the coal quarry Gevra. They will be supplied with spare parts. The Belarusian company will also provide aftersales service over the course of eight years. An aftersales service center is supposed to be opened in the immediate vicinity of the coal quarry. The contract is worth about $200 million. The first batches of trucks will be shipped to the customer in November and December.
