Skip to main content

Weak European currency boosting exports of machines

Some European equipment manufacturers are taking advantage of low currency values to boost sales at the moment. Hamm’s marketing manager Gottfried Beer said: “We see that with the exchange rate it’s a chance for us.” Both for Hamm and its rival BOMAG, for example, the low value of the European currency against the US dollar gives a significant price advantage. For US rental customers, this means that they can buy premium products from Europe at prices that would have previously been restricted to second ti
January 6, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Strong sales of European machines are a result of a weak currency

Some European equipment manufacturers are taking advantage of low currency values to boost sales at the moment. 228 Hamm’s marketing manager Gottfried Beer said: “We see that with the exchange rate it’s a chance for us.”

Both for Hamm and its rival 172 BOMAG, for example, the low value of the European currency against the US dollar gives a significant price advantage. For US rental customers, this means that they can buy premium products from Europe at prices that would have previously been restricted to second tier brands. Beer said, “It’s very attractive for customers buying in dollars.”

And he added: “That is the reason why this INTERMAT is interesting.”

The British pound is similarly strong against the European currency. Beer said, “When they buy now, they get more machines than ever.”

In terms of sales, Hamm has had orders in the hundreds for its H7 soil compactor, even before the machine has gone into production. Although announced late last year, the H7 is only just going into production at the factory in Tirschenreuth. However, every one of those machines trundling off the production line in the next few months will have had a customer name assigned to it well in advance - and with a significant chunk of those sales going into the US rental segment.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Wirtgen’s cold milling solution breaks records in Sardinia
    December 9, 2016
    Three Wirtgen cold milling machines – two of type W 210 and one of type W 200i – and two Wirtgen soil stabilizers of type WR 2000 demonstrate their productivity and reliability at Alghero-Fertilia Airport in Sardinia. Located roughly 8 km northwest of the city of Alghero, Alghero-Fertilia Airport (IATA: AHO, ICAO: LIEA) is one of three commercial airports on the Italian island, along with Cagliari Elmas and Olbia. Built as a military airport in the late 1930s, Alghero-Fertilia still occasionally serve
  • How Florida paved the way for availability payments in the US
    November 21, 2014
    New financing models have been used to deliver key transport links in the US - * Patrick D Harder and Brandon J Davis Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) public-private partnership (PPP) programme has made impressive progress, setting precedents for US transportation planning and funding. On March 26th 2014, FDOT opened 16km of new reversible express lanes as part of its US$1.8 billion I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements Project. Just a few months later, on August 3rd 2014, FDOT opened twin tunnel
  • Performance-based contracts are the way forward World Bank expert tells PPRS Paris 2015
    February 27, 2015
    There “will never be sufficient funds for all planned road activities” says Ben Gericke, transport specialist at The World Bank. The road maintenance industry is going to have to use the best possible contract strategy to win the investment it needs. Speaking at the PPRS Paris 2015 pavement preservation and recycling summit, Gericke said that the best way for the global highway construction and road maintenance sector was to get its fair share of any national spending plan was to turn to performance-based c
  • All-new road markings on world’s highways
    June 28, 2013
    Road marking manufacturers have many innovative new products either currently being used on major highways or set to be made available within the next couple of years. Guy Woodford reports. Daan Roosegaarde, an artist, and Hans Goris, a manager at Dutch construction and infrastructure firm Heijmans, are developing intriguing new products for the road markings market. One innovation involves painting road markings with glow-in-the-dark paint.