“Based on the outlook, particularly in this sector, you’ve got continued growth and support for projects – whether they’re on the national or local level. They’re bullish on the work continuing for years to come. I would say [people are] bullish looking for equipment. They’re looking to upgrade labor, of course. That’s always an issue. One of the ways you can combat labor issues is with more productive equipment. I think everybody’s always here trying to see if there’s a better ‘mouse trap.’”
– Andrew Dillard, Purple Wave Auction
“This industry has always been a great petri dish for creativity and innovation. It’s just fun to come to these shows and see what people are innovating and perfecting – things like idlers, whose technology continues to improve. Also, there’s almost endless software specified to whatever type of business you’re doing. We enjoy looking at those and how we can implement them within our business.”
– John Scepaniak, Wm. D. Scepaniak
“We’re in 42 states, mostly on the small producer side. A year or two ago, there was a uniform sentiment. [Now], I see a fragmentation. If I speak in Texas and Florida, people don’t see any end in [sight]. … But I’m seeing a lot of business owners on the producer or dealership side delaying big decisions due to ongoing uncertainties. It’s not necessarily good or bad, but it’s wait and see a little bit before making decisions.”
– Clement Cazalot, Machinery Partner
“[I’m seeing] a good, positive attitude with everybody. I think the industry as a whole is feeling much better about things this year. People are talking about projects, capex and things they’ve got going on this year. We’re definitely off to a good start.”
– Ken Albaugh, Xylem
“With the tariffs that are going in and steel prices going up, putting a little buffer between material being imported, we feel like this next phase they’ve been talking about for several years could actually be good in our little area. Overall, we know there’ll be some extra cost of doing business.”
– Jamie Jones, Capital Aggregates
“People are out. They’re looking to see what’s going on in our industry. We’ve had a lot of changes. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of instability going on right now. I think people want to get out and meet with their manufacturers – their vendors, their suppliers – and just ask: ‘What’s going on in your world?’”
– Ian Edwards, Major
“I think there’s going to come a point where if you’re putting a sensor on the same type of bearing and in the same type of application, that maintenance eventually could become almost prophetic. You can actually start predicting how long particular bearings are going to last on certain types of equipment, at certain speeds, at certain loads. That’s where the technology is moving.”
– Nick Roseto, Dodge Industrial
“There’s a lot of people looking for ways to improve [equipment] so they get more longevity on maintenance. They’re looking for longer, more predictable maintenance shutdowns. They’re looking for better quality.”
– Duncan High, Haver & Boecker Niagara
“From the other manufacturers and such that are here at AGG1, I have heard some people saying it’s a good start to the year but nothing that’s breaking the books. We’re a little different. We have extreme demand right now. It’s been a very, very good year, and we see that continuing until at least through the first quarter of next year.”
– Josh Swank, Philippi-Hagenbuch
“A big correlation with a lot of our business relates to general construction, and North America was fairly strong these last two years. I think the infrastructure spend and the large factory spend were particularly helpful. The market was reasonably stable, and the outlook, at least talking to our distribution partners and customers, included a lot of positivity.”
– Kieran Hegarty, Terex Materials Processing
Related: Video: What’s transpiring industrywide in Missouri, Arkansas
