TRATEC is now with TII

Probably the biggest news in heavy transport in India in 2015 was the acquiring of India's first hydraulic platform trailer manufacturer TRATEC by German Trailer Manufacturer TII Group. TII were to officially announce the acquisition in October 2015 in the presence of German VC. However, this didn't happen as VC couldn't make it.
TII acquired the Bawal plant of TRATEC and is now manufacturing from here. As per TII, this is all to take forward Indian PM's call for "Make in India" initiative.
This news is both Good and Bad.
Good because India will now get German quality trailers (hopefully) at much lower price now sans the hefty import taxes.
Bad news because it would be not exactly the "Make in India" thing which our PM must have thought of. This acquisition finished-off an Indian company. TRATEC had seen glorious days in the past but forgot to update itself and at the end had to sell-off its Civil business.
Goldhofer, another German Trailer manufacturer had a near monopoly in imported hydraulic trailer market in India, will have sleepless nights. Few years back they did try to do similar thing but the project did not take off. Now, with lower priced German trailers available in India without the import hassles, it would be interesting to see, what would Goldhofer do now.

Things I learned at the BHP 2014 exhibition in Mumbai

It is 3 months since i posted anything on this blog. Maybe nothing interesting happened or i was too busy. Anyways, here i am again.

Last month i was at the BHP 2014 or The Breakbulk, Heavylift and Project Forwarding expo as an exhibitor for my employer. The 2012 edition exhibitors were mostly transport operators but this time around mostly shipping lines and the so called project forwarding guys were there.

I would say it was a disaster of sorts for at-least people like me who are from heavy lift industry. Perhaps for shipping line and "project forwarding" guys, heavy-lift meant something totally different. I talked to the organisers and my fellow exhibitors about what they understood about heavy-lift. An overwhelming majority thought heavy-lift was lifting of ODC from a heavy lift Geared vessel or heavy lift by a port crane. A very select few included loadouts with SPMT or Hydraulic Trailers. Those who don't know what heavy-lift is and would trust wikipedia more than me... do visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_lift for enlightenment.

In my opinion the word heavylift should not have been used by the organizers in the first place.

The conferences were as boring as watching paint dry. All i could here was Bleh..bleh...

Why is India good...why is India bad...what are procedures of XYZ etc...A kind of a show-off fest for few peacocks.

The cocktail dinner was all about Cosco Shipping and its greatness. It seemed they were heirs of some Chinese Poseidon.

Here's what i learned from this exhibition. That Indian heavylift industry is a hopeless bunch. If our own related fraternity doesn't know much about us then imagine what pathetic ignorant world our service seekers are in.

Expos and exhibitions are supposed to be a view to the future, an advancement in implementation of new techniques and technology. Instead, this exhibition cum conference was same old story. It was like people had opened branch offices in a common marketplace.

What is needed in India is infusion of efficient techniques, optimum safety practices and flushing out of old prehistoric redundant execution techniques. 

Indian contractors don't have the will to do so because of the anomaly in the system. It just irritating to know that our rules and the law treats ODC project movements as an offence to the Motor Vehicle Rules and not a part of it. This makes these movements exposed to widespread persecution and bribe fest through out the route.

Effects of slowdown- Daimler AG's Indian truck business financially ‘sick’

Just read this piece of depressing news. The prevailing situation can only become better in two conditions- One...the economic evironment gets better in next one year, which is only subject to speculations. Second...the Transport Ministry starts some strong and honest vigilance regarding inspection of old Commercial vehicles.

We in India are strong believers in putting everything to use until its kaput. Its a miracle that most of the commercial vehicle in their current state run on the road. Its an open secret that the motor vehicle inspectors in India are the most corrupt of the lot. Without phasing out of the old junks...no body will by the new vehicles.

Projects: Exceptional freight on barge and road - Boxco transports 880 ton splitter column for Mexican refinery to Mumbai Port on 2 x 28 axle lines of SCHEUERLE-KAMAG K25 SPE

Below is a press release from the TII Group on a record transport by an Indian Transport Company- BOXCO in October 2013

Boxco Logistics has set the bar high yet again, by roll on-roll off of the longest column ever that was transported in and out of Mumbai port on SCHEUERLE KAMAG K25 self-propelled modular transporters.

It all started in the industrial township of Dahej in the state of Gujarat at ISGEC Heavy Engineering’s manufacturing plant. A 91 meter long, 880 ton splitter column built for a refinery in Mexico, shadowed the workshop buildings. Apart from the splitter, a 380 ton quench water tower and a 250 ton demethaniser were also to be transported along with their accessories. The transportation of the columns from ISGEC plant to Adani port was a challenge, as the splitter measured 91 m x 9.5 m x 9 m in dimensions. Civil works

like road widening, removal of obstacles including dividers and light poles were carried out prior commencement of transportation. Electrical line shutdowns also had to be arranged with the local electricity boards. In coordination with the local police, the transportation was carried out using SCHEUERLE-KAMAG K25 self-propelled modular transporters. The team faced a large number of challenges including turning restrictions like dividers road ends and conveyor belt structures which were mastered by the

elaborated steering modes of the SCHEUERLE-KAMAG K25 SPE. The transportation of all 3 pieces of equipment was carried out in a span of four days. The entrance wall to Adani port was razed to move the convoys into its premises. On site transportation at the port also posed a challenge due to narrow passages existing especially for the 91 m long splitter.

The shipment schedule for equipments from Dahej stood on the edge of the harsh ongoing monsoon season. The derrick barge “Triton Vision” under tow by 30 t bollard pull “MT Canara Progress” had been chosen to complete this mammoth task of sea transportation from turbulent waters of the Narmada delta in Gulf of Khambat up to the port of Mumbai. After engineering the required stowage plan, executing the jetty civil

works and ramp construction the barge arrived at Dahej jetty under tow by smaller tugs due to low draft conditions of the Narmada basin. After stowage of the cargo, seafastening was carried as per pre-calculated. Upon survey of the cargo and fastenings, the barge loaded with the refinery equipment was hauled by the smaller tugs up to Dahej anchorage, where it was handed over to “MT Canara Progress”, which

transported the loaded barge up to Mumbai port. Upon arrival and alignment of the barge at Mumbai port, delashing was carried out based on the hot works and rigging plan. The SCHEUERLE-KAMAG K25 SPE used at Dahej were also used to successfully carry out the roll off operations at Mumbai port. “MV Roll Dock Sea” arrived at Mumbai in last week of June for loading the columns on board. While the smaller two

columns were lifted by the vessel hook, the 91 meter long splitter was too large and heavy for the same. It is for this reason that rolling on the column using SCHEUERLE KAMAG K25 SPE was the obvious option.

New Blog on Heavy Lift (Alternate Lifting)

I have finally started my new blog heavyliftindia.blogspot.com
This blog will explore the rarely discussed world of Alternate Lifting, focusing on India. Feedback is welcome.

Launch of Australian Oceanographic research ship "Investigator" weighing 4500t with Skidding technique in Singapore

Announcement: New Blog on Heavy Lift on Diwali 2013

Since heavy transport is incomplete without heavy lift, i am in process of creating a new blog on heavy lift. I will concentrate more on non-crane onshore special projects in this blog. Hoping to get it running by Diwali this year. Wish me luck :).

Registration of Hydraulic Trailers: A misguided government mechanism

Things have been getting from frustrating to ridiculous. The previous process of registration of hydraulic trailers was in itself a pain. Now it has become absurd too.

Rule No.126 of CMVR clearly states that all motor vehicles OTHER THAN trailers and semi trailers shall submit prototype for test by...

The why on earth is the office of Ministry of Road Transport asking for type approval? I don't have the letter but from what i hear is that the top official has released a letter which asks for prototype testing of hydraulic trailers.

The funny part is, his predecessor had issue a letter which said that design approval from any Govt. engineering college would be enough (i have a copy).

Don't these officials know that they can be legally challenged for issuing the letter for prototype testing.  Will the ministry now function with personal whims and wishes of these IAS babus now?

I have a feeling that with the next change in the office, this procedure will again change.

Shape Shifting Semi Trailer- SuperFlex from Scheuerle & Nicolas

A marvel from the house of TII Group.

Movement of ODCs/OWCs on various National Highways without permission of this Ministry, Circular dated 27th June, 2013

You can download the recent circular from Ministry of Road Transport & Highways from their website or
http://morth.nic.in/showfile.asp?lid=1028

1000th KAMAG K24 axle line delivered to the Sarens Group

The Sarens Group, based in Wolvertem, Belgium, has a workforce of around 4,000 employees and is recognized as one of the giants of the special transportation industry. "Better safe than sorry" is one of the maxims of this globally operating company. In order to meet this requirement as well as ensuring that the quality promises it gives to its customers can be kept, the enterprise needs safe and reliable equipment. Sarens therefore relies on the K24 modular transporter from KAMAG. With the delivery of the thousandth axle line on 27th June 2013, the focus was not on looking back but instead on the future.

"The world is our market and it is precisely here - namely, across the globe - that we want to continue to steadily grow. We are on the way up. Nothing is too heavy or too high for us", said Ludo Sarens, President of the Board. "Having reliable vehicles at our disposal is the most important thing as we have to rely 100 % on our equipment. Those who want to be at the forefront of our business cannot afford to have any breakdowns or malfunctions; therefore, we continue to strengthen our fleet with KAMAG modular transporters", added Sarens. In particular, integrating KAMAG Transporttechnik in the TII Group, the recognized world leader in heavy-duty vehicles, provides the required framework for ensuring reliable delivery and a long-term partnership between Sarens and KAMAG.

In recent years, Sarens has been continuously investing heavily in the expansion of its modular transporter fleet. Sarens placed an initial order for a total of 4 platform elevating transporters complete with hydrostatic drive back in 1985. In 1989, this was followed by the first order for two 4-axle modular transporters which proved themselves to be a flexible and powerful transport system during operations. This resulted in a continuous expansion of the modular transporter fleet in the following years.

The high-performance K 24 modular transporter from KAMAG is used for moving large industrial installations, transportation of complete bridges or other large components. Loads ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes are no longer uncommon. In the shipbuilding sector, too, modular transporters from the TII Group are being used more and more. Depending on the weight of the ship sections to be transported, customized transporter combinations can be configured which precisely match customer requirements.

The container dimensions of the modular transporter facilitate worldwide use. As the vehicles are 2430 mm wide, this means they can be transported via water or land transport routes to anywhere in the world on a container flat rack. KAMAG modular transporters are available in a 4 or 6-axle design. The hydrostatic drive system turns the heavy-load units into powerful but nevertheless precisely controlled vehicles. The required oil pressure for the drive, lifting operations and control function is generated by a Power Pack Unit which is coupled at the rear. The electronic control allows mechanical coupling or operations using a loose coupling mode. KAMAG K24 modular transporters are also available in a "split" version with separation in a longitudinal

direction. The individual vehicle modules are compatible with previous Type 24 generation and can also be coupled to the mechanically steered K25 platform trailer.

The electronic all-wheel steering program provides a total of 8 different steering modes such as diagonal, circle or transverse. The steering movements take place by means of a low maintenance rack-and-pinion gear. The selected steering line can be moved forwards or backwards on the axle grid. The coordinate crosses for the steering and lifting systems can be separated from each other which allows highly flexible combination possibilities. Each of the modules has its own lifting system that is controlled by the on-board electronics. The entire combination can be raised or lowered or just an individual module. Every lifting group has pressure sensors for displaying and calculating the load as well as the load centre of gravity (COG).

Excerpts from TII communique

Axle line number 1.000 KAMAG K24 modular transporter at Sarens, Belgium

The first use of the 1.000th axle line – KAMAG stands for reliability and efficiency

1.000 axle lines, about 25 years of trust: The management of Sarens, KAMAG and the TII Group/TII Sales in front of the 1000^th delivered axle line KAMAG K24

30 Years of SPMT (Self Propelled Modular Transporter) from SCHEUERLE

June 2013

30 years ago, the first SCHEUERLE SPMT was developed and delivered to a company that is today the world's leading provider of heavy transport and lifting -  Mammoet in the Netherlands. In this 30-year period, SPMT has written transportation history. In this respect, Mammoet has been the initiator: if the 2,012 axle lines purchased by Mammoet with a total loading capacity of around 100,000 t were coupled together one after the other, then the 330 m high Rose Tower in Dubai - one of the tallest buildings in the world - could be loaded nine times over. Worldwide, more than 8,000 SPMT axle lines from Scheuerle are in regular use, an impressive fleet of vehicles that "moves the world".

Excerpts from TII Group Communique 

The management of SCHEUERLE and Mammoet as well as the management and owners of TII Sales and TII Group met at Pfedelbach to celebrate the 30th birthday of the SCHEUERLE Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT).

30 years old and still fully functional: One of the first ever delivered Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMT) that was given to SCHEUERLE by Mammoet during the celebration in Pfedelbach, the birthplace of the SPMT

For the 30th Birthday of the Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT), Mammoet offered one of the first delivered vehicles back to SCHEUERLE as a present and symbol of a long-term, trust-based relationship

Jan Klejn, CEO at Mammoet and Otto Rettenmaier, owner of the TII Group, cut the birthday cake for the 30th Birthday of the SCHEUERLE Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT). In the Background: Herman Smit, COO at Mammoet and Fabian Weingart, member of the Rettenmaier family

Projects: Stator Generator erection at GMR Chhattisgarh Power Plant

This month, Generator Stator weighing about 290MT was erected at GMR Chhattisgarh Power Plant.

The stator was lifted off from the trailer and erected using strandjacks mounted on Gantry system and skidding mechanism. Heavy Lifting contractor was SARENS Heavy Lift India Pvt. Ltd. SHILPL is a Group company of SARENS NV, Belgium.

In India, table top erections are mostly done by EOT tandem lifting or by this kind of an arrangement using strandjack lifting and skidding.

The Stator is brought on a Hydraulic Modular Trailer

Stator is Lifted off and Turned
90degrees using swivel mechanism

The skid tracks can be seen here

Projects: Stator Transport with Girder Bridge arrangement

TRATEC make hydraulic trailer and Girder Bridge

285T Stator Transported using Girder Bridge

This month stator weighing 285 MT was delivered at GMR Chhattisgarh Power Plant, Raikheda Village near Raipur city. Here are some photographs of the job.

New Trend: Emergence of Online Market Place for ODC Transport Services

It seems that Indian industrial Heavy transport industry marketplace is finally growing up. 

I have been getting some correspondences from websites in India who are offering a common market place for Service Providers and Service Seekers. The trend is common in the US, Europe, Australia etc...Its like metaljuction.com which is for the Indian Steel Industry. 

It is to be seen as to how this goes when Heavy Transporters are generalized as "Trolla Waley" or "Transport Wala" and how the humble Transport waley Lalaji understands the benefits from this paradigm shift. Indian transporters apart from the rare breed of professional transport company rely more on their humble red diary and telephone. There is hardly any differentiating factor where everyday a new transport company either enters or quits heavytransport.

Websites like our Loadkhoj.com, Loadjunction.com or the american import Uship.com are now trying to transform Transport Nagar into a webpage and replace Transport waley Lalaji's red diary with laptops. Tall ask but we had to start somewhere.

I chanced on an email interview with the founders of www.loadkhoj.com. Following are the excerpts from the response from the co-founders, Mr.Nilesh Agarwal and Mr. Pawan Chawla, both BE from KJ Somaiya and have experience in ODC transport:

HeavyTransportIndia: What was your Aim behind this project?

Load Khoj: Most of the Indian transportation industry relies mainly on close contacts and past experience to get business. This often limits the scope of their services to certain locations, routes, or customers. Such factors increase dependencies and hamper growth. Information about available truck or load is mostly shared over the phone, an inefficient, monotonous, and resource consuming task, and the information usually only travels a few links deep, often not in time, thereby reducing the possibility of finding return loads, which drives up costs. By enabling a better means of communication and information sharing, we hope to crank up the efficiency of the process of acquiring loads and trucks for transportation purposes. 

The idea is to enable freight owners and transporters to have instant access to a large pool of live information about the requirements of the market such as available freight (goods to be transported) as well as trucks/trailers across the country. This information is presented in a convenient and intuitive manner, so as to facilitate the user in comparing and finalizing the best deal, thereby saving time and eliminating the need for making multiple phone calls, and to serve as a tool for expanding our user's professional network.

HTI: How does your model work?

LK: With LoadKhoj.com, a freight owner looking for transportation simply fills in one’s freight details (type of load, type of truck required, dimensions, source and destination, etc) and posts it through a form on our website. Similarly, transporters post their truck (by entering current location in source, and preferred destinations if necessary) as soon as the truck is available. Using the data provided, the website automatically matches suitable truck/trailers with the loads based on certain filters. Both the users have access to all the information of the other party (details of load, truck, company info, contact info, etc). Users get instant E-mail and SMS notifications as soon as a match occurs, allowing them to save time on follow up calls.

HTI: How would it benefit the subscribers to your website?

LK: The website will help freight owners and transporters by facilitating :

1. A Broader Customer Base :  Approach a lot more people in a more targeted fashion.
2. Significantly Ease the Process of Business Acquisition : All that a transporter has to do is post a truck along with some key information, and matching freight is automatically displayed.
3. Simplifying Information Exchange : Avoid communication losses, by conveying detailed written information on the job that can be reviewed any time, eliminating the need to call up various suppliers or transporters repeatedly.
4. Increase Capacity Utilization and Reduce Waiting Times : When there is a live database with up to the minute information, it leads to lesser waiting time for finding a truck/load. It also reduces truck idling time, so more time of your truck is spent transporting.
5. Finding Return Loads : The database increases the chances of finding load to haul back home, so the truck is in use even while returning, and the cost benefits can be passed on.  

HTI: Wish you all the best!!

Seems like we are talking serious business now.

Appeal to my Readers

It is observed that my blog posts are copied and posted on social networking sites like Linkedin etc. by some people without giving credit to me or my blog. I request you to please send me a reference to your posts and refer my blog in your posts whenever you have taken references from my blog posts.

Thank you,

Aryan Brand Hydraulic Trailers

Received these transport pics from the manufacturer of Aryan Trailers. You can refer my earlier post for specifications of the trailer.

220MT Generator on 16 Axles. 6+6 Free at Front and Back!!

New Hydraulic Platform Trailer Manufacturer in India (Product Review) - Om Haulers Pvt. Ltd.

I wish all my readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2013!!

Om Haulers Private Limited launches its Hydraulic Platform Trailer with 2,3,4,5 and 6 Axle Line Module variants under the brand name "ARYAN".

Prima Facie, the model looks similar to Goldhofer THP/SL series trailers.
Distinctive Features:The manufacturer claims a GVW capacity of 20T per Axle Line which is 2 Tons higher than general variants of Tratec and VMT Axle lines.  The Axles are warranted for 1 lac km or 1 year from the OEM of Axles.

A little background of the group behind the product: The product is a result of combined effort by an established Trailer Manufacturer- Om Haulers Private Limited and Ex-VMT and Ex-TRATEC engineers. The manufacturing unit is in Rewari, Haryana.
Seems a good mixture of people behind the product. Lets see what it can achieve in 2013. A year seen as a year of turnarounds.
For more info mail me at heavytransportindia@gmail.com

All Specifications as received from the manufacturer

Space Shuttle Endeavour's Farewell Run on Road

The Endeavour has flown 25 successful missions, travelled nearly 200 million km, spent 299 days in space and circled the earth 4671 times.

Accustomed to speeds of upto 28000km/h Its "Last Mission" was to crawl at 3km/h through cheering crowds in Los Angeles.

13th October 2012. NASA's Endeavour was Transported from Los Angeles International Airport to California Space Center, a distance of about 19km. The job was done by SARENS North America of the SARENS Group with close cooperation between various public and private entities on specially designed array of KAMAG Self Propelled Modular Trailers (SPMT). SARENS is one of the largest Heavy-Lift company in the world with Headquarters in Belgium and branches in over 50 countries. SARENS India has its head office in Delhi. 

This was the first time and probably the last for such event. Here are some photos. 

REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon 

..........................................................................................................................................................................PS: I couldn't trace from which source i got most of the photos. There are so many. I am not using the photographs for any monetary gain. Kindly, don't sue me please i have too much already to worry about ;-).

Project Logistics' Unnerving Times

I just realised that it has been 3 months since my last post!
I was wondering why. May be there was nothing to write about in these months. The project transport scene was so bleak that nothing happened to write about.

Every transporter i talked to was complaining about the bad situation. One well known transporter from Gujarat even said "if this period continues for another 3-4 months many will be out of business". I have been anticipating this period for a long time. I mentioned this in my previous posts.

Last 2-3 years before March 2012 were crazy due to announcement of various projects. There was a mad rush for Hydraulic Platform Trailers. Every other transport company was buying these vehicles. Every other trailer manufacturer under the tree was making cheap imitations of Hydraulic Trailers. Result was rates nosedived in turn there was hardly any operating margins.

Now when projects are either stalled or scrapped. There is bloodbath in transport rates. Smaller players are cursing the day they entered ODC transport business. They have started to sell their hydraulic trailers. I infact received a call from one yesterday.

There is a silver lining though. 

This phase will cleanse the system. Sometimes nature should left alone to take its own course. Survival of the fittest. I hope once the madness subsides, better sense will prevail. I may sound harsh but that's how everything can be set right again.

Meanwhile, KHL has released the annual ICT world ranking of top transporters on basis of carrying capacity. In my opinion carrying capacity alone does not make a top rated transporter.
Here below is a snapshot. You can download the magazine from www.khl.com

Gloom in Indian Heavy Transport Services and Vehicle Sales

On 23rd May 2012 i was in Mumbai and chanced upon this article which sums up the mood in the industry. Here's a look. This article strengthens what i had said in my last blog.

Copyright DNA.

Yuga Chaudhari & Amritha Pillay l MUMBAI

The slowdown in the heavy-duty commercial vehicle (CV) segment is expected to continue for up to six months. Experts said that sales had peaked in early March when some prospective buyers, encouraged by higher discounts but fearful of Budget-related price hikes, went ahead with their purchases. As vehicle prices rose post-Budget due to excise hike, other large fleet operators and individual buyers have been delaying their purchases, said analysts and transporters.

The drop in freight rates led to a further drop in heavy truck sales in April. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the CV segment grew 4.37% on year in April. In contrast, medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCVs) de-grew 11.60%.

A similar story obtains elsewhere. The Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT) said truck chassis sales were down 15.3% on-year in March 2012 due to withdrawal of excise stimulus from CVs.

More importantly, the heavy CV / trailer segment (16-40 tonne range) witnessed 24.3-34.6% drop in sales during April 2012. An IFTRT report attributed this decline to the “5% drop in truck freight rentals on trunk routes” and “indiscriminate fleet expansion of high tonnage multi-axle trucks” during the last quarter to March. Again, heavy buying in the truck chassis segment preceded the much-anticipated excise hike in the Budget. The subsequent 5% excise hike pushed prices up by `60,000-80,000 on different variants.

“M&HCV truck sales in April have been sluggish as a result of slowing macro indicators,” said a Tata Motors spokesperson. GDP, industrial production, 3-5 % rise in vehicle prices, pre-Budget buying in March, the market taking time to transition to new prices… all these factors played a part, he said. Although April generally tends to be slack for truck-makers, this year proved worse than previous years.

“The sales are expected to remain under pressure at least for the next four or six months till segments like infrastructure and agri commodities revive. Pre-Budget buying during the first quarter of this calendar year has taken care of the demand for the next six months at least,” said Surjit Singh Arora, analyst with Prabhudas Lilladher, a Mumbai-based brokerage.

To somehow overcome sluggish sales, truck-makers have been offering discounts. “We see more discounts from various manufacturers going ahead. However, we are conservative as far as discounts in the medium and heavy truck segments are concerned. In the heavy duty segment, we are also participating with other players and offering larger discounts,” said an Eicher Motors official during an earnings call.

Supply chain firms and large fleet operators are still bullish about the industry and hopeful that sales will revive after September-October, when industrial activity reaches its peak.

Vineet Agarwal, joint MD of the Transport Corporation of India (TCI), one of the major supply chain players, said: “The decline in industrial growth has definitely affected business and thus movement across the country. At the industry level, as business volumes are sluggish, purchases are being postponed due to factors like rising interest rates. We expect some significant growth in volumes only after there is some improvement in industrial growth, which is expected only post August-September.”

TCI, however, is still positive about the market and will continue to maintain its investment to last year’s level.

Lars Sorensen, CEO-South Asia of Damco, a freight forwarding and supply chain company belonging to the APMoller Maersk Group, said: “We are still very bullish and going ahead with our expansion plans chalked out three years back. People are still concerned about the European and US markets. The Indian market is also a concern. There is no clear trend. Some companies are in a wait-and-watch mode.”