First Report: World of Concrete 2012
Annual concrete extravaganza generates good numbers and strong expectations.
Official attendance numbers have not been released yet for World of Concrete 2012, which ends its run today in Las Vegas, but initial estimates of both show promoters and exhibitors peg attendee figures at up to 50,000. More important than the base numbers however, were the uniform reports from exhibitors of stronger business activity at the show, with more orders being written this year and a much more confident mood heading into the 2012 construction cycle.
Larry Lemer, one of our old friends at Trimble/Spectra Precision, gave us this nutshell review of the show. "This has been an excellent show for us," Lemer said. "In fact, this has been our best show in the last four years, and you can quote me on that," he added and laughed.
Virtually every exhibitor we interviewed has some variation on Lemer's positive assessment. The phrase "cautiously optimistic" seems to have run its course — manufacturers have shifted into being "optimistic" about the coming year.
The show certainly had its share of head-turners, some of which even included new products! Multiquip showed several new products including high-capacity place compactors with the new COMPAS compaction analyzing system and its all-new rammer which features the Subaru ER12 rammer engine.
For its part, Subaru announced a new 5-year warranty on many of its engine products, which will add significant value going forward to OEM products that incorporate its engines.
Stihl dropped jaws with the introduction of the first ever fuel-injected chop saw. Metabo showed its all-new cordless battery powered mag drill and dropped a couple of stealth bombs about coming products that will shake up the cordless industry.
Little Giant drew its own crowds to see the new Cage ladder system that ingeniously-- what else would you expect from Little Giant? -- solves the new six-feet-and-above tie-off regulations.
Bosch and Makita were pounding away in their traditional outdoor exhibit areas and each was showing new products from rotary hammers and dust collection systems to concrete bits and chop saws. Big things are on the way from both companies in 2012. However, DeWalt was conspicuously absent from the show this year.
Wacker debuted the biggest, baddest, prettiest ride-on trowel we have ever seen, and the list goes on and on.
The rumor mill was also churning at full speed, with news of several major pending acquisitions that just screamed to be leaked, but we will have to wait for confirmation before we announce those — sorry, folks! Watch for our full report in the February/March print edition of Contractor Supply Magazine, which mails on February 16.
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