Earthmoving equipment

Earthmoving equipment is heavy equipment, typically heavy-duty vehicles designed for construction operations which involve earthworks. They are used to move large amounts of earth, to dig foundations for landscaping and so on. Earthmoving equipment may also be referred to as; heavy trucks, heavy machines, construction equipment, engineering equipment, heavy vehicles and heavy hydraulics. Most earthmoving equipment uses hydraulic drives as the primary source of motion.

On the bases of operation, earthmoving equipment categorised as:

• Excavators (compact excavator, dredging, dragline excavator, front shovel and others).
• Loaders (skip loader and wheel loader).
• Construction tractors (grader, scraper, track loader, material handler).
• Others.

Earthmoving equipment is mainly used in the construction industry, but other major applications include mining, digging and other heavy duty work.

The Asia-Pacific has the largest market share for earthmoving equipment accounting for more than two fifths of the global market, followed by Europe and North America. The global recession held back the construction industry, particularly in the western countries, but the industry is expected to show growth in the coming years.

Increasing urban population demands for better facilities are proving growth opportunities for the construction industry, which in turn increases the demand for heavy machines including earthmoving equipment, especially in developing countries such as India and China.

According to the 2009 revision of the World Urbanisation Prospect, the level of urbanisation in the world passed the 50% mark in 2009. According to the United Nations, urban population is expected to increase from 3.4 billion in 2009 to 6.3 billion in 2050. In addition, governments and the private sector across the globe are investing in better infrastructure facilities. Construction of roads, residential buildings, healthcare centers and educational institutes are expected to increase the demand for earthmoving equipment. The U.K government’s public sector investment programme is expected to rise by USD 4.9 billion to about USD 77.7 billion in 2013-14 over 2012-13 and It is further expected to increase to about USD 83.0 billion in 2014-15.

Some of the major players operating in the global earthmoving equipments market are; Atlas Copco, Bobcat Company, Bharat Earth Movers Limited, Ingersoll Rand, CASE, New Holland and Track Marshall.