International Construction October podcast

In this month’s news, we discuss Balfour Beatty’s latest profit warning, which came with the news that the company had found a buyer for Parsons Brinckerhoff and non-executive chairman Steve Marshall’s plans to leave the company.

The October issue of iC also features an exclusive interview with Volvo Construction Equipment CEO Martin Weissburg. Among other topics he talks about the state of the global markets for construction equipment and is particularly bullish on North America.

October’s Regional Report looks at the Middle East, where there is strong growth, with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE emerging as particular hotspots. However, questions are also being raised about whether there is capacity in the region to deliver the planned string of spectacular schemes within budget and project time lines.

We also look ahead to the Bauma China exhibition, which takes place in Shanghai at the end of November. This exhibition has clearly emerged as a major global event for the construction equipment industry following its launch in 2002. Another interesting feature is that while other big shows in the industry – Bauma, ConExpo-Con/Agg and Intermat take place in developed markets, Bauma China is the biggest event for the industry in an emerging economy. This means a different emphasis for exhibitors and different machine launches.