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January 30, 2016 • Vol. IXX • No. 3 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
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Inside
Skilled Worker Shortage Costs Industry Billions
Northern Green Expo Draws a Crowd…8
known as Snelling Avenue in St. Paul, Minn. At 96 days, the schedule was tight. Milestone dates had to be met with very little wiggle room. Contract work had to be closely coordinated with new bus shelter construction and city lighting improvements while crews worked mostly under live traffic. With the mill and overlay, contract work included the concrete deck replacement of the
The U.S. heavy equipment distribution industry loses at least $2.4 billion each year as a result of dealers’ inability to find and retain technically skilled workers. The figure, based on an estimated 9 percent of earnings foregone by American dealerships represented by Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), was included in a report released on Jan. 20 by The AED Foundation (AEDF). The foundation, established in 1991 and directed by AED members, focuses on professional education and workforce development issues specific to the equipment distribution industry. AEDF commissioned a team of public policy researchers from the College of William and Mary to analyze the industry’s technician shortage based on a summer 2015 survey of AED’s members in North America. “This report provides a window into the current state of our industry’s workforce,” AED President & CEO Brian McGuire said. “Distributors have known for far too long that finding the right people is tough and it’s getting tougher. A report like this tells policymakers this isn’t just an anecdotal or local problem, it’s a national crisis.” According to the report, the equipment distribution industry is suffering badly from the mismatch between the capabilities needed to fill tech-
see DEADLINES page 78
see AED page 89
Deck removal of the Snelling Avenue bridge began in earnest in May of last year. Spanning six lanes of I-94, crews closed the freeway over one weekend for the deck removal. AED Holds Summit, CONDEX Show…14
Street Improvements Face Tight Deadlines in St. Paul By Dick Rohland CEG CORRESPONDENT
Alex Lyon & Son Hosts Liquidation Sale…92
Table of Contents ................4 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................39-49 Recycling Section ........53-69 Attachment & Parts Section ......................................85-87 Business Calendar ............86 Auction Section ............91-97 Advertisers Index ..............98
Construction crews faced very tight deadlines and on the spot communication updates when they took on a 1.3 mi (2 km) mill and overlay of a high volume, four lane city arterial loaded with businesses, vehicles and pedestrians. The work took place on Minnesota Trunk Highway 51 (TH51) also
Global Sales of Equipment to Grow in 2016 Global sales of construction equipment are forecast to grow 3.9 percent in unit terms in 2016, to 760,508 machines, according to specialist economic forecasting and market research consultant, Off-Highway Research. The expected improvement fol-
lows a weak performance in 2015, when global unit sales fell more than 10 percent from the total of nearly 818,000 machines sold in 2014. In 2016, growth is expected in the European, North American and Indian equipment markets. Off-Highway Research also fore-
casts a stabilization in China, where sales of construction equipment have fallen from a peak of 435,070 units in 2011 to a projected 131,345 machines in 2015 — a decline of 70 percent in the space of four years. “There can be no doubt that
2015 was a tough year for the global equipment industry, due to slowing world economic growth and weak commodity prices,” said OffHighway Research Managing Director David Phillips. “Unit sales fell to their lowest since the crisis see SALES page 70