Believe it or not, it has been a year since the first issue of PMV landed on your desk. So what has changed in the industry between then and now?
Well, the price of steel has been a factor in the price of machines, some of which have risen 15 percent in the last year. On the jobsite, the soaring price of rebar and other commodities have tightened budgets that might otherwise be spent on machinery. The price of diesel hasn’t helped either.
In other news, there were even more mergers and consolidations in heavy manufacturing, with the largest being the breakup of Ingersoll Rand. In fact, the sale of IR’s Bobcat brand to Doosan Infracore was the biggest deal in earthmoving history.
A smaller market generally means less choice, but the race to make the most efficient machine ever was on display at ConExpo in March, with all the machinery houses pulling in different directions.
For the record, Komatsu were the first to bring a diesel-electric excavator to the market this year, though it is by no means the first hybrid machine to hit the saleroom, as ADTs from brands such as Lectra Haul managed it years ago.
However, it is exiting to see new ideas in mechanical and electronic technology being pushed in our sector.
A smaller market generally means less choice and higher prices However, it is the raft of new legislation that has most affected plant managers in the last twelve months
Here in Dubai we have seen legislation which keeps heavy trucks, including cement mixers off most major routes through the daytime. While most sites have managed to work around it, we know that more than a few bosses and operators had sleepless nights getting used to the new rules.
So what have we to look forward too over the next year? Certainly new technology should play a role, and we think that lead times for machines and tyres should decrease.
However, there are ominous signs that emissions legislation could be phased in soon, at least on road-going vehicles over the Emirates. Even if the not-to-arduous Tier II standard is adopted, this could toll the death knell for about three-quarters of the trucks and busses on the road…
Whatever the year brings, we’ll be here to bring you the news first. We’ll see you at ConMex and the Big 5 next month.
Greg Whitaker is the editor of Plant Machinery Vehicles Middle East.
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