ConExpo rolling news update

KHL Group journalists are providing a rolling news feed throughout ConExpo. If you have relevant information, contact Andy Brown ([email protected]) or Murray Pollok ([email protected]). The show opened on Tuesday 10 March and was originally scheduled to run until 3pm on Saturday. It will now close at 5pm on Friday.

WRAP-UP AND THANK YOU (13 March, 3.30pm, Nevada)
We are approaching the end the show and it’s time to bring this news feed to a close. AEM has managed to deliver the event in extremely difficult circumstances. Visitor numbers will inevitably be down on previous shows, but many exhibitors have reported positive experiences, despite the problems. They, and AEM, will be hoping for a less fraught show in 2023. We look forward to being there.

From the KHL team in Las Vegas, thank you for reading!

Caterpillar’s ConExpo presence honors equipment operators (15 March, 10 a.m.) Caterpillar Inc. showcased its latest products, services and technologies while paying tribute to those who build the world’s infrastructure at ConExpo 2020, 10-13 March in Las Vegas in the US. Read the story here.  

Sinoboom starts its move into North America (13 March, 14:30, Nevada)
The China-based manufacturer is in search of a partner in the US. The partnership would ideally be with an existing OEM in the country and could take a number of forms, including a partial acquisition. Read more here.

Serious labs launches seater simulator (13 March, 11.00am, Nevada)
Serious Labs has unveiled its Universal Motion Base (UMB) to be used with seated heavy equipment VR simulators, at ConExpo. Read the story here. 

Ammann targets light equipment market in North America (13 March, 11.00am, Nevada)
Swiss-based manufacturer Ammann is looking to appoint dealers in North America as part of a light compaction sales drive in North America. Read the full story here.

Lift & Move USA at ConExpo (13 March)
More than 300 students from Clark County schools attended a special Lift & Move USA session at the Workforce Solutions area of ConExpo on Thursday morning (see photo below right). The students heard from industry experts - including a representative from SpaceX - about career opportunities in the lifting, rigging and specialized transport industries. The Lift & Move program is run by SC&RA, the SC&R Foundation, NCCCO and KHL Group. Click here for more on the program.

Haulotte is set increase its presence in North America with new facilities in Canada and Texas, US. The two new depots would add to its Ohio headquarters and two other bases in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Long Beach, California. Read more on this story here. 

Nevada Gov. declares state of emergency (12 March, 6:10pm Nevada)
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Thursday declared a state of emergency to deal with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in Nevada, following similar actions in other states. “This measure is not something I take lightly but it is my sworn duty as governor to protect our citizens,” Sisolak said at a news conference at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building Thursday afternoon.

Several U.S. states, including California, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and others have declared states of emergency or public health emergencies in recent weeks in response to the growing health crisis that the World Health Organization on Wednesday declared a pandemic. Many states announced bans on mass gatherings and events with more than 100, 250 or 500 people, depending on the state. 

Show to close one day early (12 March, 5.00pm Nevada)
ConExpo will close a day early due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) concerns, show organizers have announced. ”Due to the growing concerns about COVID-19, the travel restrictions put in place by the President and changing corporate travel policies that impact many of our attendees and exhibitors, we have made the decision to close CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE one day early, closing on Friday, March 13 at 5 p.m.,” AEM said in a statement at 5 p.m. PDT. Read the full story here. 

Show confirmed through Saturday (12 March, 3.00pm Nevada)
AEM issued a statement early this morning confirming that the show will continue until the scheduled time of 3.00pm on Saturday. AEM re-confirmed that position again at 3.00pm this afternoon.

AEM said it recognised the concern over the new cases of COVID-19 in the Las Vegas area, and said its ”top priority is focused on the health and safety of all participants at CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE 2020…Today the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority released a statement sharing the Southern Nevada Health District’s (SNHD) reiteration that “Clark County residents and visitors remain at ‘low risk’ of contracting the virus”. The Authority’s full statement can be read here.

”We are continually monitoring the situation and will respond to any recommendations set by the U.S. Government or its agencies. We will continue to be transparent in our communications if new information develops.”

First order placed for Snorkel’s new ’mega boom (12 March, 11:45, Nevada)
Snorkel debuted the world’s tallest self-propelled boom lift at ConExpo, and Mortier en Trémie ABL has placed the first order.

Dubbed a ‘mega boom,’ the new Snorkel 2100SJ telescopic boom lift reaches a maximum platform height of 210 feet (64m), provides horizontal outreach up to 100 feet (30.4m) and has an unrestricted platform capacity of 660 pounds (300kg). With a maximum working height of 216 feet, (65.8m), the 2100SJ reaches an equivalent of 22 building stories. Read the full story here. 

IHS Markit downgrades global GDP growth (12 March, 11.00, Nevada)
Scott Hazelton of IHS Markit said at ConExpo that the coronavirus could cut global GDP growth to 1.7% this year, down from the previous forecast of 2.5%. Read the full story here.

John Deere focuses on new technology (12 March, 10.30, Nevada)
John Deere has shown its latest technological solutions for the construction industry at ConExpo, with the company stating that new technology is ‘changing the construction industry.’  See full story here.

LiuGong targets North America (12 March, 10.05, Nevada)
LiuGong has shown 15 machines at ConExpo featuring state-of-the-art technologies, and reiterated the company’s commitment to the demanding North American market. See full story here.

Hidromek shows new H4 series excavator (12 March, 9.56am, Nevada)
Turkish construction equipment manufacturer Hidromek, which has more than 45,000 machines in operation in over 100 countries, is displaying its HMK 230 model – one of five currently available in the H4 series. See full story here.

European travel ban (12 March, 9.30am Nevada)
European-based delegates and visitors were still processing the news of the European travel ban as the show opened for its third day. Many will be investigating their travel options before the ban begins at midnight on Friday. 

Case unveils fully electric backhoe-loader (11 March)
Case Construction Equipment introduced “Project Zeus,” the 580 EV (Electric Vehicle), the construction industry’s first fully electric backhoe loader. Power and performance are reported to be equivalent to other diesel-powered backhoes in the Case product line. Read the full story here.

Bell Equipment tracks into new market (11 March, 10.10am, Nevada)
South African hauler manufacturer Bell Equipment has created a new machine to tackle the marshy areas of the Americas as it shares a first for the company at ConExpo 2020 ­– the TC7A – a crawler hauler. Read the full story here.

Liebherr celebrates 50^th US anniversary at show (10 March, 2.50pm, Nevada)
German manufacturing group Liebherr has kicked off ConExpo in style, producing striking US liveries on its new all-terrain crane LTM 1120-4.1 ­– the most powerful four-axle crane ever to be produced – and the new 938 excavator, part of the new 8^th generation machines from the company. Read the full story here.

Komatsu update on coronavirus (10 March, 2.00pm, Nevada)
At Komatsu’s press conference, Rod Schrader, CEO, Komatsu America Corp, gave an update on the impact of the coronavirus on the company’s supply chain. Schrader commented that, while different countries and regions are being affected in different ways, so far for the company it was, “So far so good.” He added that the company has restricted travel for its staff but that, in terms of the supply chain, the company was, “good throughout May.” 

In North America Schrader revealed that only two factories are reliant on China for components. He did add though that, “this is a situation that is changing every day and so we have to be nimble.”

Manitou introduces MEWPs and telehandlers (10 March, 13.30pm, Nevada)
Manitou Group introduced a range of its products to the North American market at ConExpo, demonstrating its growing ambitions in the continent. See full story here.

Try before you buy with Engcon (10 March, 13.15pm, Nevada)
Excavator attachments specialist Engcon is demonstrating its latest tiltrotator technology at the Festival Grounds this week. See full story here.

Genie extends new boom family (10 March, 12.51pm, Nevada)
Genie is launching the second boom lift in its new range at ConExpo, which starts today in Las Vegas, US. See full story here.

Caterpillar introduces 395 Excavator at Conexpo (10 March, 12.45pm, Nevada)
Caterpillar introduced the Next Generation Cat 395 excavator at Conexpo in Las Vegas, NV in the US, offering contractors up to 10% more production, two times more structural durability, and up to 20% less maintenance costs than the machine it replaces, the 390F. See the full story here.

Eagle Crusher shows off UltraMax with feeder option (10 March, 12.44pm, Nevada)
Eagle Crusher is displaying its new UtlraMax 1200-CC with Pre-Screen feeder at ConExpo’s Central Hall.See the full story here.

Dynapac partners with Trimble (10 March, 12.40pm, Nevada)
Road construction equipment manufacturer Dynapac and technology firm Trimble have partnered to develop rollers with autonomous functionality. See the full story here.

Boom truck from Manitowoc (10 March, 12.30pm, Nevada)
Wisconsin, USA-based crane manufacturer Manitowoc is showing its new National Crane brand NBT40-2 boom truck at the ConExpo trade show in Las Vegas, USA. See the full story here.

Innovation takes centre stage at Bobcat (10 March, 12.12pm Nevada)
Bobcat is underlining what it calls a “strong presence” at this week ‘s show with a specially designed Innovation Stage highlighting new products. See the full story here.

Skyjack unveils highest scissor (10 March, 11.00am Nevada)
Skyjack unveiled its highest-reaching scissor lift, the SJ9263 RT, at ConExpo. The unit features a working height of 69 feet and is rated for four people. Full story here.

New heavy-duty telehandler from Xtreme (10 March, 11:32am Nevada)
Xtreme Manufacturing used ConExpo to launch a new 17,000-pound capacity telehandler. The XR1734-C is the fourth model in the company’s new C-class lineup, which extends the Xtreme’s total product offering to 22 units. See the full story here. 

Volvo update (10 March, 5.00pm UK)
Volvo CE has issued another statement providing an update about its withdrawal from this year’s ConExpo. The company reiterated that it was an extremely difficult decision but believes it was the right choice for the safety of its employees, customers and the wider public. “At that late stage in preparations it would not have been possible for Volvo CE to remove the equipment and dismantle the booth before the show begins. Instead, a small number of locally hired independent staff will remain on the site for the duration of the show to ensure safety and security around the Volvo booth.”

Volvo CE highlighted that its press conference has been cancelled, but the company will be scheduling future press activities to communicate about its latest products and activities. The statement also said that visitors to ConExpo are welcome to walk through the company’s booth to look at the products on display.

ConExpo opens! (10 March, 9.00am Nevada)
A rainy start, but visitors were queued up at the entrances as the show got underway this morning.

Smopyc delayed (10 March, 1.00pm UK)
As ConExpo prepared to open in Las Vegas, the organisers of the Smopyc construction show in Zaragoza, Spain, have announced a postponement of the event. It will now take place on 23-26 September, rather than the scheduled 1-4 April dates. Spain is one of the worst hit nations in Europe, with more than 1,200 confirmed cases, although nowhere near the level of Italy, which has more than 9,000.

Cummins reduces presence at ConExpo (10 March, 9.00am UK)
US-based engine and power systems manufacturer Cummins has announced that its employees will refrain from attending Conexpo; “The company made this difficult decision as a precaution to keep its employees and communities healthy and cited limiting participation in large gatherings as one way to reduce the spread of COVID – 19 (novel coronavirus).

Product will still be on display, and the company will collect attendees’ contact information at the Cummins booth (No. S84407) so representatives can follow up at a later date. Cummins also has already begun contacting customers and stakeholders to make them aware of this decision and reduce any inconvenience it may cause.

Last week, Cummins expanded its travel restriction on commercial air travel, both domestic and international, through Mar. 31. The company will continue to determine other actions to take to help reduce the spread of COVID – 19.”

New tech launches from ZTR (9 March, 8.56am, UK)
At ConExpo ZTR, a company focused on the development of Telematics and other Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, has expanded its product offering to include a new Data Brokerage service, the ZTR M7 advanced telematics solution, T-series tags, Access Management, and the new ONE i3 interactive dashboard. See full story here.

Guidance from ConExpo (9 March, 5.48pm Nevada)
ConExpo has provided guidance on what to do if someone presents flu-like symptoms at the shows:

• Our first aid professional service provider and a nurse will be readily available to provide medical assistance onsite to any individuals that needs medical assistance. We have five first aid stations onsite at the shows.
• These stations have a screening protocol in place.
• If after the screening it is determined an individual presents with COVID-19 like symptoms they will be taken by ambulance to Sunrise Hospital.
• Per Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) protocol, anyone not willing to do so will be escorted off the property.
• Our first aid professional service provider has ensured us they would be able to treat a mass breakout of the virus, working closely with the fire department and local hospitals.
• At this time, any testing for COVID-19 would be managed by local hospitals and/or the CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention).
• We will always defer to the professional health agencies on such matters.
• To stay updated on the latest cancellations please reference our directory.

KHL ready for the event (9 March)
KHL Group has two stands at ConExpo. Our Construction titles will be represented on booth S5998, outside the entrance to the Grand Lobby and close to the Silver Lots. Our Power division, which publishes Diesel Progress and other magazines, can be found in the IFPE show at South Hall 3, booth S82131.

Teams from both divisions will be posting stories from the show all week, as well as several newsletters, and you can find all the news at dedicated Conexpo Apps. Click here for instructions on how to download the Apps.

Poclain statement (9 March)
Poclain Hydraulics will continue as planned to exhibit at ConExpo/IFPE 2020. “We understand that some global hydraulic manufacturers have decided to withdraw, and we respect each company’s decision. We will be instructing our staff to follow the health protocols recommended by AEM and NFPA and will be fully equipped with hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies at our booth.  Please consider stopping by Poclain’s booth at S81613 and we look forward to a safe, healthy and successful show.”

ZF statement (9 March)
Germany’s ZF said it will not be fully exhibiting at ConExpo. The company said; ”In light of growing concerns over the COVID-19 virus and the potential for transmission in areas where large numbers of people congregate, the ZF Group decided to withdraw staff from this week’s ConExpo show in Las Vegas. The company’s display will remain on the show floor, staffed by local contract representatives, who will receive any visiting customers.

“This was a very hard decision for us to make,” said Piergiorgio di Francesco, Head of Business unit Off Highway, North America. “The health and safety of our employees is first and foremost. Given the fact that we would be asking employees to risk exposure not only on the tradeshow floor, but also in the course of their travel to and from the show, we felt it was an unacceptable risk. We join many of our customers, suppliers and competitors who have made the same decision,” Di Francesco continued.

ZF has been a long-standing exhibitor at ConExpo, and the company’s commitment the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and this event is unwavering. The company wishes the organizers the best for a safe event and looks forward to returning for ConExpo 2023.

Final booth preparations (9 March, 10.30am Nevada)
ConExpo exhibitors are working hard preparing their booths for the opening of the show tomorrow morning. Pictured is the Haver & Boecker stand on the Silver lot. The exhibition starts at 9.00am on Tuesday.

Faster withdraws participation (9 March, 2.45pm UK)
Italian couplings manufacturer Faster has announced that it will not exhibit in Las Vegas, issuing the following statement: “In agreement with Helios Technologies, Faster has decided to not participate as an exhibitor to IFPE/ConExpo 2020. In this moment in time, the continuous spreading of COVID-19 is forcing us into taking precautionary and preventative health measures. We feel the need to protect our employee and other people around us and therefore we have decided to revoke our presence at the show. The company is incredibly sorry to miss this exhibition and we want to wish best of luck to the organisers of ConExpo.”

Wacker Neuson updated statement (9 March, 2.15pm UK)
Adding to Wacker Neuson’s earlier announcement that no employees from Europe will travel to Las Vegas for ConExpo due to the coronavirus, the company has said,  “Wacker Neuson will exhibit at CONEXPO-CON/AGG with a more limited staff from North America in the Festival Grounds booth F2548. With the health and safety of our employees and show visitors in mind, we will observe the no-handshake policy recommended by AEM and other precautions.”

KHL ConExpo Apps
KHL Group has launched a ConExpo news App, which will provide news reports and videos from the show. Click here for more details and instructions on how to download the App.

JLG statement (9 March, 2.00pm UK)
JLG has announced that it is scaling back its presence at ConExpo due to coronavirus, issuing the following statement: “Due to the continued and growing risk of Covid-19 (Coronavirus), JLG has eliminated all foreign travel to/from ConExpo 2020. Furthermore, the company has decreased its North America-based participation in the show by 50% and cancelled an evening customer event.”

Frank Nerenhausen, President of JLG Industries, said, “We have been watching the situation very closely since its outbreak in China. As the virus spreads, with a reported case in Las Vegas itself last week, we are initiating an abundance of proactive measures to keep our employees, customers and the general public healthy and safe.”

ConExpo update (8 March, 5:14pm Nevada)
ConExpo issued the following statement on Sunday evening, which has been edited for length:

• ”No major exhibitors have cancelled from CONEXPO-CON/AGG and these companies have reconfirmed their commitment to participate. We appreciate their leadership and commitment to our industry, your customers and our members. [Volvo’s booth and equipment will be ready for the show, but it will be staffed by “locally hired independent staff”.]
• To put it in perspective, regardless of what you are hearing about mass cancellations, a total of 66,950 net sq. ft. of exhibit space has been cancelled out of 2.694 million net sq. ft., or roughly 2.48% for CONEXPO-CON/AGG.
• We have already resold 15,500 sq. ft. of this cancelled exhibit space.
• We will go into the show with one of the largest CONEXPO-CON/AGGs ever.
• For attendance, we have added 16,383 new registrants since Feb. 21 when the travel restrictions and coronavirus started to have an impact. That total is far outpacing the last show and also our cancellations to date.
• Customer cancellations are focused on international registrants and some big U.S. corporate customers placing travel restrictions.
• Total registrations as of yesterday is over 118,000 and climbing. Even if the cancellations total 10,000, which they don’t, we have over 100,000 registrants and climbing.
• These are your customers who have paid to come to the show and are expecting to see and purchase your equipment. They are committed to attending.
• IFPE has received cancellations due to a large international exhibitor presence and corporate travel policies.
• Five major IFPE exhibitors – Parker Hannifin, Eaton, Danfoss, Bosch Rexroth, Sun Hydraulics, and Hydac – have cancelled, bringing the total to 45,000 sq. ft. or 26% of the 172,500 sq. ft. of floor space.
• Even with these cancellations, 74% of exhibit space remains. That is over 300 exhibitors on the show floor.
• The reconfigured show floor looks great and we’ve provided additional space for entertainment for the Fluid Power Hour reception on Wednesday from 4 to 6 pm.”

Update (8 March)
Conexpo has added welding equipment specialist Miller Electric and drivetrain supplier Dana Inc to the list of cancellations.

Statement from Stanley Infrasturcture
”After careful consideration, STANLEY Infrastructure will not participate in ConExpo this year. Unfortunate circumstances regarding COVID-19 led to a decision ultimately prioritizing employee health and safety. We wish all the best to show organizers, exhibitors, and attendees, and look forward to the next show in 2023.”

Update (7 March)
Conexpo’s website says 54,350 square feet out of 2.694 million net square feet or 2.02 percent cancelled from the show floor. The show has re-sold 15,500 sf of this cancelled space. Conexpo said; ”Cancellations are listed once we receive formal written notice. Of these cancels, only five booths were over 2000 sf in size:

• Platform Basket
• Camso/Michelin
• Stanley Infrastructure
• BASF
• Allison Transmission

This list does not include the companies cancelled from IFPE (see here). Volvo is not included in the Conexpo list possibly because their exhibits will still be on show (see Volvo update below), even if their booths are not staffed by Volvo employees.

Conexpo statement (6 March, 4:30 pm (Nevada))

• Travel restrictions related to international travel and corporate policies have impacted some companies that planned to exhibit at the show. 
• The CONEXPO-CON/AGG cancellations that we’ve received represent 44,950 square feet out of 2.7 million net sq. ft. of exhibit space, which represents about 1.7 percent of the total space. We’ve re-sold 15,000 square feet of this cancelled space.
• Volvo CE continues to have their display at the show with hired staff.
• No major exhibitors have cancelled from CONEXPO-CON/AGG and many companies are reconfirming their commitment to participate. We appreciate their leadership and commitment to our industry, equipment end-users and our members.
• We may see more cancellations, but the majority of cancellations have been limited to booths 400 sq. ft. and under.
• For attendance, we have added 18,000 new registrants since Feb. 21 when the travel restrictions and coronavirus started to have an impact. That total is far outpacing the last show and also our cancellations to date.
• Customer cancellations are focused on international registrants and some big U.S. corporate customers placing travel restrictions.
• Total registrations as of yesterday is over 120,000 and climbing. Even if the cancellations total 10,000, which they don’t to date, we have a huge audience of customers coming to the show. 
• For IFPE, the event has been harder hit by cancellations due to the large international exhibitor presence and corporate travel policies.
• The IFPE cancellations that we’ve received represent 34,680 square feet, which represents about 20 percent of the show floor. We’ve re-sold 3,300 square feet of this cancelled space.

Volvo update (Friday 6 March, 10.00pm UK)
Volvo CE has issued the following statement regarding its decision to pull out of ConExpo: ”Since announcing our decision to withdraw from Conexpo-Con/Agg 2020 due to the coronavirus, Volvo CE has been working very closely with our partners at AEM to determine the best path forward.

”At this point in preparations, it would not be possible for Volvo CE to remove the equipment and dismantle the booth before the show begins. Instead, a small number of locally hired independent staff will remain on the site for the duration of the show. The booth will be ready for show opening on Tuesday, March 10th.

”Volvo CE is deeply appreciative of AEM’s collaboration in this difficult moment and recognizes the great value that the Conexpo-Con/Agg show brings to our industry and our customers every three years.”

Parker Hannifin (Friday 6 March, 7.30pm UK)
Parker will not participate as an exhibitor or as attendees at IFPE/CONEXPO 2020. The company made the following statement:  ”With the coronavirus COVID-19 continuing to spread, and with more than 200 Parker team members attending globally, they believe it is prudent for them not to travel. Parker’s priority is to protect the health and safety of its team members and the communities where they live and work.”

Magna Tyres (Friday 6 March, 6.00pm UK)
Magna Tyres has pulled out citing the decision by Volvo and others not to attend. ”Magna Tyres has been monitoring the current conditions with regards the spread of Covid-19 closely over recent weeks and due the latest announcements of several countries and states, we’ve decided not to attend.”

Dana Incorporated (Friday 6 March, 5.00pm UK)
Dana Incorporated announced that the company and its staff will not participate in the CONEXPO-CON/AGG tradeshow. The company made the following statement: “The safety of our employees, customers, suppliers, and the public is our highest priority, which is why after careful consideration, and out of an abundance of caution, we made the difficult decision to withdraw our participation from the CONEXPO exhibition in Las Vegas. The situation surrounding the novel COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak continues to evolve and we believe it is important to, where possible, reduce the risk of exposure for our team. We have made this decision as a precautionary measure but remain committed to the CONEXPO-CON/AGG tradeshow and look forward to the next edition in 2023.”

Enerpac (Friday 6 March, 4.00pm UK):
Enerpac has made the decision to forgo exhibiting or attending IFPE/CONEXPO 2020 scheduled for March 10-14 in Las Vegas. ”Given the continued spread of the COVID-19 virus, we are placing priority on the health of our team members, our customers and the public. Safety is an Enerpac core value, therefore, we believe in taking the careful step of not travelling to and participating in this year’s event. We look forward to participating in IFPE/CONEXPO 2023.”

Skyjack (Friday 6 March, 2.00pm UK)
Skyjack has sent KHL the following statement: “Following suit with our company’s philosophy we’ll keep this announcement simple and reliable. Skyjack intends on attending ConExpo 2020 next week. As a result of Covid-19 concerns, and the ripple effect that has, we’ve had team members, customers, and fellow OEMs opt-out of this year’s show, however we are still attending. Safety is everyone’s responsibility and the team that has elected to attend the show intends on taking precautions to protect themselves and our customers from the virus.

“We’ve created health and safety awareness posters, which will be distributed throughout our booth. These promote ConExpo’s ’no handshake’ policy that was announced earlier this week. If you’re attending the show as well, come see our team at Festival Grounds F6014 and experience our easy to do business with attitude.”

Haulotte Group (Friday 6 March, 11.00am UK)
Haulotte has confirmed it will participate in ConExpo. Its employees are being encouraged to postpone business trips to endangered regions, with employees deciding individually whether they want to attend trade shows or not. “Therefore as a Group we have made the decision to maintain our participation in the ConExpo trade show, after careful consideration and relying on ConExpo’s prevention plan. Our American team is looking forward to welcome our guests and visitors on our outstanding booth F-6134 (Festival lot), such as the press conference which is still scheduled on March 10th, 2 pm.”

Statement by Dennis Slater, president of AEM (Thursday 5 March)
The following statement has been edited for space reasons.

“With all the news about the coronavirus and the speculation regarding ConExpo-Con/Agg and IFPE, I want to provide an update on planning, including commitments and cancellations. Here is where we stand:

• No other major exhibitors [other than Volvo] have cancelled from ConExpo-Con/Agg and these companies are reconfirming their commitment to participate. We appreciate their leadership and commitment to our industry, your customers and our members.
• To put it in perspective, regardless of what you are hearing about mass cancellations, a total of 108,450 net sq. ft. of exhibit space has been cancelled out of 2.7 million net sq. ft., or roughly 4% for ConExpo-Con/Agg.
• That number may grow somewhat, but the overwhelming majority of cancellations have been limited to booths 400 sq. ft. and under.
• We will go into the show with one of the largest ConExpo-Con/Agg’s ever.
• For attendance, we have added 16,383 new registrants since Feb. 21 when the travel restrictions and coronavirus started to have an impact. That total is far outpacing the last show and also our cancellations to date.
• Customer cancellations are focused on international registrants and some big U.S. corporate customers placing travel restrictions.
• Total registrations as of yesterday is over 118,000 and climbing. Even if the cancellations total 10,000, which they don’t, we have over 100,000 registrants and climbing.
• These are your customers who have paid to come to the show and are expecting to see and purchase your equipment. They are committed to attending.
• For IFPE, that event has been harder hit by cancellations due to a large international exhibitor presence and corporate travel policies.
• Four major IFPE exhibitors – Parker Hannifin, Eaton, Danfoss and Bosch Rexroth – have cancelled, bringing the total to 28,780 sq. ft. or 16.9% of the 170,000 sq. ft. of floor space. Even with these cancellations, 83% of exhibit space remains.” 

Nevada Health District statement (5 March)
“The Southern Nevada Health District is announcing the first presumptive positive case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a Clark County resident [Las Vegas is in Clark County]. Test results are considered “presumptive positive” until the result is confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The patient is a male in his 50s who is hospitalized and currently in airborne isolation.

”The patient reported a recent travel history to Washington state, where community spread of the virus is being reported, and Texas, which recently reported its first travel-associated case. The Health District is working with its health care partners and leading the effort to quickly identify close contacts of the patient.”

Volvo Group (Thursday 5 March)
The Volvo Group has reported all of its business areas have jointly decided to not attend Conexpo-Con/Agg 2020 due to the outbreak and continuing concerns relating to the Coronavirus Covid-19. The decision includes Volvo Construction Equipment, Volvo Penta, Volvo Financial Services, Volvo Trucks, Mack Trucks, SDLG and Terex Trucks.

“We are great supporters of Conexpo, and despite being in advanced preparations for this year’s event, we believe it is the right thing to do to withdraw at this late stage. Our first concern is the well being of employees, customers and the wider public,” said Melker Jernberg, executive VP & president of Volvo CE. 

Bosch Rexroth (Thursday 5 March)
Bosch Rexroth said that after careful consideration they have made the difficult decision to cancel their participation in the ConExpo/IFPE show in Las Vegas. They join other hydraulics companies, including Parker Hannifin, Eaton and Danfoss in withdrawing.

Scania (Thursday 5 March)
The Scania Executive Board has implemented measures to mitigate the risk of Coronavirus transmission for Scania employees. These measures include that international travel should be avoided and all large meetings and events with international participants must be postponed or cancelled. As a consequence Scania has cancelled its participation at ConExpo-Con/Agg & IFPE 2020.

Power & hydraulics exhibitors
Our sister magazine Diesel Progress is running a similar rolling news service, which can be found here.

Show news before 5 March
The show organisers have reported that advance registration is well ahead of the 2017 show and over 130,000 attendees are expected. However, some exhibitors have cancelled, and many report that they will not be sending over staff based outside of the US.

China-based OEMs, such as Sany, XCMG and LiuGong are not sending staff from China, and some smaller Chinese exhibitors have cancelled their stands.

Below is a selection of comments from OEMs regarding ConExpo:

Liebherr
In general, all 48,000 Liebherr employees are encouraged to postpone business trips to the endangered regions whenever possible. Large events should be avoided. Nevertheless, as a Group we have decided to take part in ConExpo after careful consideration and weighing of the risks. However, our employees decide individually if they want to participate in the trade fair. Colleagues with individual health risks or personal concerns are encouraged not to travel to Las Vegas. In these days, the health of our employees and their families is more important than ever.

Wacker Neuson
Due to the current situation, the Wacker Neuson Group has set restrictions on business travel and is completely restricting international business trips. As a result, no employees from Europe will travel to ConExpo in Las Vegas.

Tadano, Ingo Schiller
“Tadano is moving forward with our plans to bring our customers a successful ConExpo. Safety, is our core value and always a top priority. We are actively monitoring the WHO and CDC to determine the most responsible course of action, following their recommendations and best practices that include a no handshake policy for the show, a cleaning crew to wipe down surfaces during show hours, and hand sanitising stations around the booth area.”

Terex Corp.
”As a global organization, Terex Corporation has manufacturing and support sites across the world, including China and several locations in Washington state. Terex Corporation is focused on keeping its 10,000 team members safe at all times and is taking stringent precautions to protect against COVID-19 Coronavirus. Thankfully, to date (3/5/20) no Terex team member have been diagnosed with the virus.

Terex has issued a protocols checklist to all locations globally that outlines a number of safety precautions to be taken locally to protect team members from COVID-19. As a precaution at present, the Company is not conducting business travel to or from China, Macao, Hong Kong, South Korea or Italy following an elevated travel alert from the Centers for Disease Control in the United States where Terex is headquartered.

Fortunately, as a forward thinking company embracing digital technology, we have invested in a suite of world-class communications tools. Several years ago, in a bid to reduce our carbon footprint we moved to a culture of more “virtual” meetings using video conferencing technology. Thanks to this, the impact of temporary travel restrictions is minimal and it is very much business as usual.

We also continue to look forward to participating in the upcoming ConExpo tradeshow, the largest construction exhibition in the world this year. It is being held in Las Vegas next week, where our machines are already at Silver Lot booth S5118 and the Festival Lot booth F7376, our hospitality area is constructed and show organizers have confirmed that the show is to be held as planned from March 10-14.”

Hyundai Construction Equipment Europe
The management at Hyundai Construction Equipment Europe (HCEE) has put on hold all non-emergency air travel for its staff, although ground-based travel to locations currently deemed not to be ‘Covid-19 risk areas’ is still approved. Employees have also been told to cancel any planned travel to the specific quarantine zones within China, South Korea and northern Italy.

All European staff have been asked to put training courses, guided tours, road shows and other non-essential events on hold for the time being and await updates on whether to attend major European exhibitions that are currently due to go ahead as planned.

Wolffkran, Todd Yager
“We only have four people from our global team attending ConExpo, and they still are coming. All but one of my US team members will be at the show as well. This remains unchanged. We will be following all recommendations that the CDC has put out for the general public.”

Comansa, Bill Carbeau
“We will have our usual staff from Spain and the US in attendance. However, we plan to knuckle bump instead of shaking hands and will have plenty of hand sanitizer around.”

KHL staff are planning to attend the show as normal.

In response to the virus, there has been a number of major shows postponed, such as the Hannover Messe industrial manufacturing, automation and logistics exhibition due to take place in April and the SaMoTer 2020 construction equipment exhibition in Verona, Italy. Hannover has announced new dates in mid-July, while SaMoTer has been rescheduled to 16-20 Mayavtion.