Crawler excavators are bucking the overall trend of slowing UK construction equipment sales, according to the Construction Equipment Association (CEA).
Based on the latest figures released by the UK equipment statistics exchange, sales of the vehicle grew by 18% for the first three quarters of 2018, compared with the same period in 2017.
On a year-to-date basis, the next strongest selling product, mini/midi excavators (below 10 metric tons), showed over 5% growth from Q1 to Q3. In contrast, telehandlers, the weakest performing machine, saw figures fall below that for the same nine-month period last year, reflecting the slowing growth overall for the industry.
Sales of construction and earthmoving equipment grew by 1% in the third quarter of 2018, when compared with results for Q3 2017. In the first three quarters of this year, total equipment sales recorded 4.2% growth, reaching over 24,000 units. A consistent seasonal pattern of sales across the last three years shows that Q2 is the peak quarter in terms of demand.
Despite the modest results, the CEA remains upbeat. A spokesman said, “This illustrates a continuing upward trend in sales in the UK market, but at a slowing rate of growth.
“Overall, this is an encouraging position for the industry, against the background of a weak construction market, which is expected to show relatively flat output this year.”
