The fall in global commodity prices and slowdowns in many emerging economies saw revenues for the world’s 50 largest construction equipment manufacturers fall by 16.2% last year to $133bn, according to the ‘2016 Yellow Table’ report compiled by International Construction.
This is the lowest revenues have been, and follows the sharpest year-on-year fall, since 2009 — when industry sales fell to $109bn during the depths of the global financial crisis.
The most striking impact of this market trend is seen among China’s largest construction equipment manufacturers. All of the Chinese companies in the Yellow Table fell down the rankings this year compared to their positions 12 months ago.
In addition, some of those drops were among the heaviest falls for any company in the ranking, with Shantui falling seven places to 38 in this year’s ranking, and Liugong slipped six places to 22.
These losses also saw some changes at the top of the ranking, with Sany dropping out and leaving XCMG as the only Chinese manufacturer remaining in the top ten, in ninth position – opening the way for JCB to enter the top ten for the first time since the 2008 edition of the Yellow Table.
Caterpillar retained the first place it has always held, and Komatsu was again the clear global number two. Below them, however, Terex displaced Hitachi as global number three in the industry and Liebherr moved up at the expense of Volvo.
However, the difference in revenue terms between Terex, Hitachi, Liebherr, Volvo and John Deere, which occupy positions three to seven, is modest. South Korea’s Doosan improved on its previous position to move up into eighth.
The top 10 ranking of global equipment manufacturer by revenue for 2015 is therefore: Caterpillar, Komatsu, Terex, Hitachi, Liebherr, Volvo, John Deere, Doosan, XCMG and JCB.
by John Bambridge
Source: Construction Week Online
