Where do we go from here?

So the market isn’t particularly buoyant at the moment, but there are at least some encouraging signs from the US that the stimulus package is reaching where the people in our industry need it most – namely in the house building and general construction market. It is going to take a while for anything to filter through to the manufacturers though. With layoffs numbering in the tens of thousands across the so-called rust belt alone, all the talk of ‘green shoots’ might be premature.

However, while it isn’t a great time to be working in the construction machine business, there are some interesting glimmers, even here in the Middle East. Traditionally, the access platform market is the first to be affected in times of recession, but a new health and safety standard in Abu Dhabi may see the use of far more of these platforms, while the dreaded seven-year rule for used trucks is threatened to be introduced in Saudi Arabia.

Both of these might bring opportunities to those that deal in these categories, though they are probably going to make things tougher in the short term for the site manager with a fleet of old trucks and a pile of old ladders instead of any powered access. However, we shouldn’t be afraid to embrace new technology, especially if it means a cleaner and safer workplace.

Of course, the whole argument becomes obsolete if there is nothing to build, so let’s hope we see more developers come up with affordable housing projects, based over a realistic time frame.

That, ultimately will be the way out of the crisis.

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