Rock to Road

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Highlights from WOA/AGG1 2016

March 28, 2016  By  Andrew Macklin


March 28, 2016 – World of Asphalt/AGG1 has come and gone, smashing previous attendance and exhibitor space records in the process.

With more than 9,000 registered attendees and approximately 157,000 square feet of exhibitor space taken up by 500 plus exhibitors, the show secured itself as the destination for contractors looking to add new equipment and technology to their business. The Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn. provided an excellent venue for the show, surrounded by a vibrant entertainment district for clients and colleagues to meet following the show.

Several major manufacturers in both the aggregates and road construction industry debuted new products at the show, including:
• Vogele’s new 2000-3 paver is the first in the new series that will replace the Vision series
• Cat’s new ‘years-in-the-making’ PM620 cold planer
• Polydeck’s first foray into wire screen panels with Metaldex
• Volvo’s P7110B and P7170B pavers
• Roadtec’s CB-100 heavy-duty conveyor broom
• BOMAG’s BW206AD-5 tandem vibratory roller
• Carlson’s portable lighting solution
• Sakai’s latest SW654 compactor
• Thunder Creek’s new SLT fuel/lube distribution trailer

On the Canadian side of discussions, several companies discussed the impact that the low Canadian dollar has had on equipment sales. The positive progress over the past month has been good, but the Canadian dollar will have to continue its improvement U.S. equipment manufacturers outlook on sales to the north.

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But the tough Canadian dollar didn’t stop Canadian buyers from flooding the show, with multiple manufacturers commenting on how surprised they were by the number of Canadians in attendance. That follows similar comments from two years, when the Canadian contingent at CONEXPO-CON/AGG was a big story on the show floor. A strong Canadian turnout in Las Vegas is expected next year, and that will only grow in the Canadian dollar continues to improve its position versus the U.S. dollar.

There was significant buzz throughout the show that business was about to pick up, as expectations have increased with last year’s introduction of the FAST Act in the U.S. It is believed that the next 12-18 months should see an uptick in equipment purchases for the road construction business south of the border.

The aggregates and road construction industry shifts its focus now to CONEXPO-CON/AGG for 2017, however dates and locations have been officially announced for World of Asphalt/AGG1 for 2018 and 2019: Houston will host the industry March 6-8, 2018, with Indianapolis playing host February 12-14 in 2019.


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