Four days. 51,000 visitors. 83 countries. From December 11 to 14, 2024, the India Expo Centre in Greater Noida became the most concentrated hub of construction and mining equipment in India.
Excavators demonstrated their operations on the ground. Next to them were hydraulic breakers and crushers. Cranes loomed above stalls’ divisions. In a total area of 135,000 square metres of exhibit space, one conclusion was evident: the Indian machinery market is not merely buying. It is making.
The BAUMA CONEXPO India 2024 was the 7th edition of the biggest fair for construction and mining machinery in India. It was opened by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. A total of 984 exhibitors from 30 countries came. There were 6,298 buyer-seller meetings arranged at the event. These are impressive numbers. Yet numbers cannot explain what the atmosphere was like on the floor.
JEHEL was there. The company, formally Jaypee Engineering & Hydraulic Equipment Co. Ltd., has been making hydraulic material handling and rock-breaking equipment since 1995. It took its main line of products to the fair. For a company that has served the mines, cement factories, and power stations of India for three decades, the fair was an opportunity to reach many more people than usual.
The Scene
Gadkari didn’t mince words. In his inaugural address, he said India has infrastructure projects worth Rs 70 lakh crore underway. He called the construction equipment industry the world’s third largest. He pushed for more R&D, sustainable fuels, and export growth. Clear message to the room: build more, build better, sell globally.
Supporting this were the exhibits that took place on the sidelines of the main event. These included Demtech India 2024, devoted to demolition technology, and a NASSCOM pavilion devoted to construction technology. International pavilions by German, Italian, Chinese, and South Korean companies showcased their products for an Indian audience of buyers.
These 6,298 meetings were organised within the framework of the Buyer-Seller Forum, which offered exhibitors something very valuable: face-to-face contacts with potential buyers.
What JEHEL Showed
The stall had static rock breakers. Hydraulic tipplers for trucks. Orange peel grabs. Clam shell grabs. Hydraulic cranes. The JP Rok method for removing accretions from the kiln. No bells and whistles. Just function.
Each one has a purpose to solve a particular issue: a stuck crusher, a blocked hopper, a furnace waiting too long for its scrap load.
According to the company’s own event recap, what surprised them was the international interest. JEHEL built its name in the domestic market. Cement plants in Rajasthan. Coal handling operations in Jharkhand. Mining sites in Odisha.
The trade show attracted foreign customers who raised the same queries that Indian buyers do about speed, longevity, and customisable boom length. This is a positive indicator since it shows that the product has a universal language.
Why This Edition Was Different
Trade fairs happen every two years. What made this one matter was timing.
India’s infrastructure spend is at an all-time high. The Union Budget allocated Rs 11.11 lakh crore for infrastructure in FY 2024-25. PM Gati Shakti is pushing multi-modal logistics. Highway, metro, rail, and port projects are running simultaneously across the country.
- Vivekanand, president of ICEMA and MD of Caterpillar India, called BAUMA CONEXPO India the “cornerstone trade fair” for the equipment industry. Vinayak Pai, MD of Tata Projects, said engaging directly with manufacturers on customised solutions was a “significant value addition”.
When the heads of Caterpillar India and Tata Projects say a trade fair matters, it matters.
The Shift Nobody’s Talking About Enough
Foreign OEMS dominated the Indian machine market for many years. Caterpillar. Komatsu. Volvo. Liebherr. Local firms had their competitive advantage in pricing; never in engineering.
This is no longer the case. Today, manufacturers such as JEHEL are competing by virtue of their expertise in specific applications. They understand that Indian coal is not the same as Australian coal. They understand that a Chhattisgarh cement plant hopper is not the same as one in Gujarat. There is worth in this sort of specialisation.
The BAUMA CONEXPO India trade show is where all of this happens. A mining engineer from eastern India could walk from a Volvo booth to a JEHEL rock breaker exhibit within one minute. Compare specifications. Ask questions.
What Comes Next
The next one is due September 15 to 18, 2026, same place. It will surely get better. JEHEL has found its point in the 2024 show. The products caught the eye. Conversations were held with buyers the company had never contacted before. Now it’s time for the difficult part – turning the leads into orders.
The trade show squeezes all the industry into one building within four days. Everybody leaves. All the work takes place afterwards. Follow-up. Quotations. Visits to site. Prototypes sent to be tested. That’s when shows like BAUMA CONEXPO India reveal their value.
The 2024 show has demonstrated where the equipment industry in India stands. There is a huge demand. The supply chain is growing. Indian companies can stand up to their global rivals. It couldn’t have been done ten years ago. But it’s being done now.
JEHEL makes hydraulic material handling and rock-breaking equipment for mining, cement, power, and construction. Thirty years in the business. A 1 lakh sq. ft. manufacturing facility. An in-house R&D team. A service network that covers India and extends abroad. Visit jehel.com to see the full product range.
