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A glimpse into the future

Take one look at the cranes dominating Dubai's skyline, and there's no doubt that the Middle East construction industry is booming.

A glimpse into the future
A glimpse into the future

Take one look at the cranes dominating Dubai’s skyline, and there’s no doubt that the Middle East construction industry is booming. Throughout the region demand for construction equipment is growing as GCC governments expand infrastructure and ambitious building projects are announced.

The trends and issues that have emerged during the last few months are a taste of how the industry might be shaped in the future. So there’s never been a better time for the first issue of PMV, the only editorial-based magazine catering entirely for the region’s heavy-equipment users.

A recent spate of consolidations among manufacturers, such as Doosan buying the Bobcat brand from Ingersoll Rand, looks set to be a big influence on the heavy-machinery industry.

According to Off-Highway Research, a UK-based management consultancy specialising in the construction equipment market, 85% of sales by value are now controlled by ten machinery manufacturers. The results of having more power in fewer hands remains to be seen. In the short-term, it allows companies to enhance their production range and global distribution in one fell swoop.

However, these figures do not include the emerging companies in China. These fledgling companies, offering cheaper equipment, may influence the future of the construction industry, and their presence is already being felt in the market.

The UAE has no shortage of newcomers taking advantage of liberal trade laws and its advantageous location in relation to the rest of the world; and they’re all looking for a slice of the action.

These newcomers, both established companies setting up regional operations and emerging companies from the Far East, will only drive competition in an already competitive market. PMV will keep you posted on who’s arriving and what they’re up to.

With total world construction equipment sales at an all-time high of approximately US $85 billion and there being no signs of a slow-down, there is a sense of excitement about good times to come. In light of this it comes as no surprise that Dubai and the wider region are bursting with opportunities for construction equipment manufacturers and contractors. PMV will keep you posted.