Show me the value
Never mind new equipment for the sake of it. Show me the equipment that makes the industry safer, faster, cleaner, quieter and more productive.
Next week, the eyes of the demolition and construction equipment world will turn towards Paris as the Intermat exhibition returns after a six-year enforced absence.
Some of the biggest equipment manufacturers in the world will be there to showcase the latest additions to their respective product portfolios. And while some manufacturers have already stated their intention to save their biggest innovations for the Bauma exhibition in 2025, Intermat will - unquestionably - provide not just a shop window, but a window into the future of the sector for the coming few years.
The two key themes of the show will be decarbonisation and digitisation. So we can expect the introduction of new electric machines, glimpses of a possible hydrogen-fuelled future, and enough technology to make a NASA scientist’s head spin.
But, as we transition from diesel to electric or hydrogen (or both) and from analogue to digital, a nagging question remains: Where is the value?
What can the next generation of equipment do that is better, faster, quieter, cleaner, safer and more productive than the machines of today?
For those machines embracing future fuels, the value is there for all to see. Diesel fuel will slowly but surely fall: first out of fashion; and then out of favour entirely. Those that wish to ensure their equipment fleets keep running will eventually have no choice but to make a choice between electric and hydrogen, even though neither of these technologies currently represents an ideal replacement.
Elsewhere, however, the value to the customer is often harder to discern.
For all the endless possibilities afforded by digitisation, the majority of equipment operators set up their machine preferences once and rarely (if ever) touch them again. Most equipment rental companies would prefer analogue and mechanical equipment that they can mend and maintain themselves, without the need of a dealership diagnostic specialist armed with a sonic screwdriver and a degree in quantum physics.
While adding a 43 tonne excavator between the existing 40 and 45 tonne models does “plug a gap” in the manufacturer’s range, that addition does more to fend off rivals than it does to enhance the customer or operator experience.
And then, there is the wider implications of our desire for greater decarbonisation. To date, that has meant making engine exhausts cleaner than the average hospital operating theatre (even while the nation’s rivers are becoming a toxic wasteland).
Volvo has produced an articulated truck built from fossil-free steel. But even this may not be enough in the decarbonised future. Will it make greater economic AND environmental sense to rebuild and recondition existing machines rather than buying the next new model that comes along? And, if there is even a partial switch to remanufactured over new, where does that leave OEMs that have for decades been on a path of continual product improvement? Moreover, what would such a switch mean for the major equipment exhibitions? Will manufacturers display the quality of their rebuilds, or will we all find it so hard to justify international travel that exhibitions themselves are forced to evolve?
The law of diminishing returns
As someone whose very livelihood depends on a steady flow of new equipment and new innovations, I welcome each new machine, each new innovation and each new trend with open arms. But, as the industry moves towards that shining digital future, it is worth noting that we are mirroring the tech industry; its constant clamour and desire for the 2.0 or the 3.0 version; and the law of diminishing returns.
I bought the first iPhone. It was a gateway drug; electronic crack. I subsequently bought the iPhone 3, the iPhone 4, 6, 7, 10 and 12. But I have bought neither the iPhone 14 nor the 15. I have gone full cold turkey. I have opted out NOT because I have fallen out of love with the Apple brand (one look around my office would dissuade you from any such notion). I have also not become miserly in recent years.
The truth is that the differences between the iPhone 12 Pro Max sat on my desk and the iPhone 15 Pro Max sat in my local Apple Store is so insignificant that it is just not worth the bother.
Oh sure, I know that the camera’s low light capabilities are better than those of mine. And I realise that I am negatively impacting my hard-earned street-cred by rocking an older generation phone. However, that’s not enough additional value for me to drop another £1,500.
So yes, I am looking forward to Intermat more than I could possibly explain. I am looking forward to meeting old friends and new. I am looking forward to seeing what the industry has in store for all of us in the coming months and years. But, most of all, I will be looking for that all-important and often illusive added value; that “je ne sais quoi” that makes a good machine great; and that turns a want into a must-have.
See you in France.