Features Education Event Reports
Big Iron in Toronto

Some big iron passed through the doors of Toronto’s International
Centre in early March as the city hosted the 2011 National Heavy
Equipment Show (NHES).

Chinese manufacturers including Cheng Gong consumed a large amount of floor space at the 2011 NHES.

Some big iron passed through the doors of Toronto’s International Centre in early March as the city hosted the 2011 National Heavy Equipment Show (NHES).

In total, more than 11,000 visitors toured through four “sold out” halls at the massive venue, which housed over 250 exhibitors displaying everything from work boots and safety signs to excavators and rock crushers.

“I was very pleased with this year’s event,” noted Mark Cusack, the show manager from Master Promotions, which produces the NHES show and numerous other trade and consumer events. “2011 was by far, the largest NHES show yet. The re-booking for the 2013 show has already started, as most of the large equipment exhibitors signed up on the show floor. We heard very enthusiastic comments from both attendees and exhibitors.  This definitely supports the feeling that the industry is recovering nicely.  Going forward this bodes well for our other heavy equipment shows. Notably, The Pacific Construction Equipment Show, which is next on the agenda for June 3 and 4, in Chilliwack B.C.”

The NHES attracted companies involved in everything from roadbuilding (above) and crushing to safety boots and safety signs.

The Gravel Pit
This year, some new excavating and road building equipment from China drew some attention and consumed some large floor areas, including gear from Liugong and Cheng Gong. Other big name companies showcasing their construction equipment included, Bobcat, Bomag, Case Construction, Doosan, Hyundai, Liebherr and Volvo, while on the trucking side, Mack and Volvo Trucks were front and centre. A number of trailer companies were also at the show, including Trout River Industries from P.E.I. and Ontario-based Titan and Glasvan. The aggregates industry was also well represented in “The Gravel Pit,” where a huge selection of crushers, screeners, conveyors, aggregates plants, scales, recyclers, breakers and construction drills were available for participants to explore. McCloskey International, which is headquartered in Peterborough, Ont., brought an impressive array of gear to The Gravel Pit including the newly designed 36×80 stacker and the C44 cone crusher.  The Gravel Pit was sponsored by Aggregates & Roadbuilding magazine.

The wide range of products on display at this year’s NHES made the visit worthwhile for visitors and many remarked about the size and diversity of the heavy equipment being showcased. And while the attendees were happy with the show, so were the exhibitors, who reported excellent traffic and sales and many solid leads to follow up on in the months to come.

The always popular Backhoe Rodeo, which was sponsored by Case, was back again this year.  The contest filled the bleachers as some of the best backhoe operators in the area took the controls to perform the seemingly impossible with the machines, which were supplied by Case, Luigong, Volvo and New Holland. Octavio Miranda came out on top as the winner of the 2011 NHES Backhoe Rodeo, a position he has become used to as he has won every NHES rodeo except one since 1996.

“We now look towards 2013,” concludes Master Promotions’ Cusack. “We are already gearing up for our next National Heavy Equipment Show. It’s going to be a good one.”