Check out some interesting headlines around the construction and heavy equipment industry from the past two weeks.
Komatsu Equipment Awarded SHARP Certification (Construction Equipment Guide)
"Komatsu Equipment was awarded the prestigious Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) Award at its Salt Lake City, Utah, facility on April 12. Komatsu Equipment is the first company to receive the certification in the heavy equipment industry in Utah and fourteenth overall company to become SHARP certified in the state." Read more
John Deere MyMaintenance App to Simplify Construction Equipment Maintenance (MachineFinder)
"The John Deere MyMaintenance mobile app was officially rolled out on May 12, providing a new machine maintenance tool to John Deere construction equipment owners and operators. The app, which can be downloaded for iOS and Android devices, is designed to work exclusively with John Deere machines that have an active JDLink ™ subscription." Read more
Deere: Profits Seen Under Pressure in Face of Ag Turndown (CNBC)
"Even with crop prices trending higher, the worst of the agricultural downturn may be far from over for Deere. Continued weakness in the domestic market along with softness in South America are affecting the company's farm machinery business. The slump is being felt hard, particularly on high-horsepower tractors and combines." Read more
UK is Net Exporter of Construction Machinery (The Construction Index)
"Number crunching by the Construction Equipment Association market information manager Paul Lyons shows that the UK exported £70m more machinery that it imported in the first quarter of 2016. In the previous quarter, Q4 2015, the balance of trade was even greater at £126m." Read more
"Today, Merrill Lynch released a report on Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) performance review. The firm maintained its Neutral stance with $81 price objective. Yesterday, the firm hosted investor meetings with Caterpillar Inc. Group President and CFO Brad Halverson, VP Financial Services Mike DeWalt, and Director International Relations Amy Campbell. During this meeting, it was noted that despite the oil price recovery is healthy for the construction and mining equipment manufacturers, Caterpillar still believes this economic recovery is not at par as compared to the unsettled economic downturn. Nevertheless, the management is not likely to cut the 4.2% dividend yield." Read more
China's Equipment Makers Aim to Scoop Out Overseas Market Share (Financial Times)
"China’s construction equipment makers are ramping up the competition against global leaders such as Caterpillar, Komatsu and Deere and appear set to discount products to build market share, a new study has found." Read more
