Skip to main content

VDMA: “No reason for any worries” in construction equipment market

There is “no reason for any worries” in the global construction equipment and building material manufacturing industry despite a lack of growth in 2013, according to the German-based VDMA association. In a release issued after the association’s summer board meeting in Hameln, northern Germany, a VDMA spokesperson said, “Bauma, the industry’s leading international fair held in April, in particular helped to change the industry’s mood significantly. Directly or indirectly it led to a great number of new order
July 16, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
There is “no reason for any worries” in the global construction equipment and building material manufacturing industry despite a lack of growth in 2013, according to the German-based 1331 VDMA association.  

In a release issued after the association’s summer board meeting in Hameln, northern Germany, a VDMA spokesperson said, “688 Bauma, the industry’s leading international fair held in April, in particular helped to change the industry’s mood significantly. Directly or indirectly it led to a great number of new orders, but in the meantime a downturn is visible again.”

Summing up the board’s common state of the industry view, the spokesperson added, “With the restrained forecast of the industry, this year’s scenario can probably best be interpreted to be a side movement. However, in light of the very good high absolute level the industry currently is on, there is no reason for any worries.”

With regard to construction equipment, the VDMA believes only the building construction market is growing. “In the last couple of weeks an increase in demand was visible in all areas. However, it has to be feared that the negative growth during the weak first quarter for earthworks and road construction machinery will probably have been too big to make a turnover result near zero for the entire year,” said the spokesperson. “The demand on building material machinery was higher in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period last year, due to effects by special projects. Even if these should wear off slightly in the next couple of months, a growth for the entire year 2013 is still very realistic.”

The Middle East, especially Saudi-Arabia, Russia - although with a slightly decreasing dynamic, the central Asian states and, with some cut-backs, North America and Brazil - are said by the VDMA to be among the markets that currently work the “most positively”. Germany, France and Scandinavia are said to remain rather stable. “At the negative end are, as before, the southern European countries. China and India are disappointing also: after a weak year 2012, there has currently not been a real upturn yet,” added the spokesperson.

The German construction equipment and building material machinery industry made US$16.31 billion (€12.5bn) in turnover in 2012. Of this, $10.31 billion (€7.9bn) was in construction equipment and $6 billion (€4.6bn) was in building material, glass and ceramics machinery.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Poland’s construction industry on its way to recovery
    March 23, 2016
    After a sluggish performance over the past couple of years, Poland’s construction is recovering strongly, according to a new report by Timetric’s Construction Intelligence Centre. Construction activity in Poland was weak during the report’s review period, 2011–2015, because of a deteriorating business environment, weak economic conditions, currency depreciation and a lack of foreign capital investment. The report, ‘Construction in Poland – Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020’, noted that the construction s
  • Bauma 2016 Innovation Awards entries accepted starting today
    April 1, 2015
    Entries are now open for the bauma Innovation Awards to be presented at the international construction and construction equipment trade fair bauma in Munich in 2016. As last time, in 2016 the awards are again being presented in five categories: • Machinery • Components • Construction process/Construction work • Research • Design bauma 2016 in Munich is a major international showcase for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and c
  • Terex president and CEO Ron De Feo delivers upbeat results at Conexpo 2014
    January 6, 2017
    Terex president and CEO Ron De Feo was in an upbeat mood at the manufacturer’s Conexpo press conference this week saying “2013 was a year of pretty substantial improvement for our company.” In the second half of last year, Terex saw revenues grow by 6.1% with the figure for the whole year up by 1.5%. The aerial work platform (AWP) and materials handling and port solutions (MHPS) divisions led the improvement in the second half, said De Feo.
  • Terex president and CEO Ron De Feo delivers upbeat results at Conexpo 2014
    March 6, 2014
    Terex president and CEO Ron De Feo was in an upbeat mood at the manufacturer’s Conexpo press conference this week saying “2013 was a year of pretty substantial improvement for our company.” In the second half of last year, Terex saw revenues grow by 6.1% with the figure for the whole year up by 1.5%. The aerial work platform (AWP) and materials handling and port solutions (MHPS) divisions led the improvement in the second half, said De Feo.