Bangalore: Escorts Construction Equipment Limited (ECEL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Escorts Ltd, has shown a 35 per cent growth in sales in the first quarter 2002 as compared to the corresponding period during the fiscal 2001– 2002. ECEL gained this momentum essentially due to spurt in road building activities around the country, according to an official press release.

"The company has expanded its cranes portfolio to include slew-cranes upto the 40T class, besides special road recovery cranes supplied to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Simultaneously, a major thrust has been given to the road construction equipment which has principally accounted for the share increase in sales for ECEL," ECEL chief executive officer Vikram Sharma said.

Besides being a leader in the crane segment, ECEL also manufactures vibratory soil compactors and tandem vibratory compactors, which are in high demand in India's first track road building initiatives. The company currently offers products that are in tie-up with leading foreign manufacturers such as HAMM AG (Germany), Daewoo Heavy Industries (Korea), Fassi (Italy).

ECEL has drawn ambitious plans to emerge as a major player in India’s infrastructure development. "We are augmenting our portfolio in road construction equipment which will be the key driver of our growth," Sharma said.