Construction Machinery Manufacturing
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Industry Overview
In the US, over 700 companies manufacture construction equipment, with combined annual revenue of $25 billion. Large manufacturers include Caterpillar, Terex, Komatsu, and Hitachi, and the construction divisions of heavy equipment manufacturers CNH, Deere, and Volvo. The industry is highly concentrated: the 50 largest companies hold more than 80 percent of the market.
Competitive Landscape
Demand is highly dependent on the cyclical construction industry. During the last recession, production dropped 30 percent. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient manufacturing operations, since customers are very sensitive to price. Because of the large capital investment required to produce heavy construction machinery, this segment of the market is mainly served by the large manufacturers. Smaller companies can compete effectively by producing equipment that has specialized applications, or that is relatively simple to make. The industry is capital-intensive, with annual revenue per worker of more than $300,000.
Products, Operations & Technology
Major products are bulldozers, loaders, backhoes, power cranes, excavators, graders and rollers, crushers, mixers, pavers, concrete pumps, various types of off-road trucks and trailers, and a wide variety of specialized machinery. Such equipment is used for three major activities: earthmoving, paving, and lifting.
Like auto manufacturers, construction equipment manufacturers typically buy key components like engines and gears, hydraulic pumps and hosing, and structural steel and castings from parts suppliers, perform various finishing operations, and assemble the components. Materials represent 60 percent of finished product costs. Much equipment is large and expensive: a 175 ton truck-mounted crane can cost more than $1 million; off-road trucks cost almost $200,000; and even small loaders cost more than $50,000. High prices create incentives for significant import competition for crawler tractors and excavators, and for commodity-type items like concrete mixers, pumps, and winches. The effective life for most equipment is no more than ten years, and is often shorter.