INDUSTRY GIANT RETURNS

The paper in this magazine originates from timber that is sourced from sustainable forests, managed to strict environmental, social, and economic standards. The manufacturing mill has both FSC & PEFC certification, and also ISO9001 and ISO14001 accreditation.

I’ve been working in the fantastic industry that is construction for so long that I’ve begun to measure time by the passing of major trade shows. The sector has a host of fantastic shows for local markets but works on a three-year cycle for its more international shows: Bauma in Germany one year, then ConExpo in the US, followed the next year by Intermat in Paris. Once the cycle is complete it starts again.

This April will be my third Bauma and – this is a sure sign of getting old – the first one I attended doesn’t seem that long ago. Lots have changed in the industry though. At that Bauma, in 2019, alternative power was being talked about, but it was still in its infancy, technology was growing but was more the exception than the norm and, of course, it was a world that didn’t know about Covid and global lockdowns.

I’m excited to get out onto the show floor and to talk to the great and good of the construction industry about what their biggest challenges and opportunities are and to report this all back to our audience. There’s no doubt that the challenges are vast – but so are the opportunities for those that get it right.

This issue also includes articles on that most ubiquitous of substances, concrete, a look at the high rise construction market, exclusive interviews with a leading executive of Caterpillar and an industry legend who has been serving the sector for 30 years, and a feature on where construction is on its autonomy journey plus the increasing impact of what must be one of the most talked about topics in the world at the moment – AI. If you do see me at Bauma, then do stop me and say hello. If you see me and the time is past 5pm then please do say hello and ask me if I fancy joining you for a cold pilsner.