Steinexpo2017: German earthmoving equipment sales on firm ground

Earthmoving sales in Germany this year could top 30,000, according to Joachim Schmid, managing director of 1331 VDMA - Construction Equipment and Building Materials Machinery Association.

Orders are also up 14% on that of 2016, said Schmid who was speaking during this week’s Steinexpo2017 demonstration trade fair near the central German city of Homberg. The event is held in the Nieder-Ofleiden basalt quarry – the largest such quarry in Europe.

But suppliers to the raw materials industry have had a hard time, he said. After a year of weak turnover in 2016, the sector is now expecting better business and a widespread upturn by 2018 at the latest. In 2016, processing technology worth around €700 million was produced in Germany. That is 16% below the record level of 2011. Machines and systems worth only €200 million remained in Germany while 73% were exported.

He said that innovation processes are being driven more than ever by digitalisation. “Compared to other industries, the construction equipment and building material machinery industry has a long way to go.” explained Schmid.

This is due to the complexity of construction sites and the heterogeneity of the machines, processes and customers. Many mechanical engineers offer digitalised fleet management, remote maintenance, assistance systems and even driverless machines. However, these solutions are manufacturer-specific and not compatible. Because of this, Schmid said that the VDMA is pushing for a holistic approach which focuses on customers, regardless of the technologies, brands and machines they use.

“With new standardised and Industrie 4.0-compatible networking options, we want to use the potential for new, future-oriented business models and more efficiency,” said Schmid.

In the coming years, together with the construction equipment manufacturers, international digital standards for communication between construction equipment and building materials machines from different manufacturers and brands are to be developed and established.

At the same time, the Forschungsvereinigung Bau- und Baustoffmaschinen (Research Association for Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinesry – FVB), which is tied to the VDMA, is initiating a research project. The aim is to develop innovative, powerful and flexible machine and communication technologies to support the medium-sized industry with the implementation of the Industrie 4.0 guiding principles for construction sites.

Existing models and structures such as BIM or RAMI are to be used and adopted to sector-specific general requirements.