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
April 23, 2015 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

  • Bitumen technology specialists work to lower embodied carbon
    April 5, 2021
    A novel recipe for bitumen combines chemicals extracted from naturally occurring asphalt with a product created from cashew nut shells. Called ‘Instant Asphalt’, the idea is the brainchild of Frank Albrecht, managing of Albrecht Supply Concepts, which specialises in bitumen engineering.
  • The ADT offers hauling versatility
    May 20, 2014
    The ADT offers a highly versatile option for earthmoving applications and manufacturers are offering new and improved models with the latest low emission engines - Mike Woof writes The versatility and adaptability of the ADT has seen this type of machine become one of the most important types of equipment for the global off-highway machinery sector. The once popular motor scraper now sells in only limited numbers, even in the US, and has been replaced by the more versatile excavator and ADT combination o
  • Putting roller compacted concrete to the test
    June 28, 2013
    Although it has been around since the 1970s, roller compacted concrete (RCC) is starting to look a whole lot more attractive, thanks to the rising price of bitumen. Now the challenge is to define specifications and tests to help ensure quality - Kristina Smith reports. At a meeting of the American Concrete Pavement Association in December 2011, there was a sea-change in the attitude towards roller compacted concrete (RCC). Up until that point, the feeling among the 400-plus members, of which half are contra
  • Dressta’s new dozers part of ambitious growth vision
    May 13, 2015
    Earthmoving equipment manufacturer Dressta is launching the first of three new hydraulic crawler dozers later this year, and has ambitious growth plans funded by parent company LiuGong, the Chinese construction equipment manufacturing giant. Guy Woodford reports Dressta’s trio of new hydraulic crawler dozers represent exciting additions to the dozer market and are the first results of parent company LiuGong’s significant R&D investment in the Polish firm, which it bought in 2012. Being launched in Q