From the Chief Executive

Welcome to the Spring issue of Construction Worx. One of the themes in this issue is safety - which is paramount in our sector when working on busy construction sites. A number of our members are at the forefront of safety and, in the magazine, we have solutions from Spillard and SiteZone for protecting personnel. Xwatch and Prolec talk about retrofit systems for construction machinery and National Highways address ‘safe loads’.

You will also find an invite to the CEA Conference (30th March, Peterborough), the first CEA in person conference since the COVID pandemic. It promises to be an excellent event with key industry speakers, talking about the hottest topics and challenges facing the construction sector today. CEA members are also invited to attend the CEA AGM on the morning of the conference.

The Plantworx Innovation Awards Dinner is taking place after the conference and it promises to be a fantastic event with excellent networking opportunities and a celebration of the most innovative products to come to market. We really do hope you can join us – we even have the Dark Destroyer from the quiz show, the Chase, to host the event!

The forthcoming Plantworx is looking very exciting as the exhibitor list continues to grow. The Plantworx team has also introduced some new initiatives, which include the BIG Ideas Zone for tech startup companies and the Get Connected Zone which is dedicated to connected technology. The Plantworx feature can be found starting on page 19

We also take a look at the Bauma exhibition, where electrification was very much the order of the day!

In addition, Hydrogen is a big part of this issue. Construction Worx correspondent Peter Haddock talks to Clare Jackson, Chief Executive of Hydrogen UK and KGP’s Alex Woodrow takes us on a deep dive into the cleantech topic of Hydrogen and supporting our journey to Net Zero.

The MTC (Manufacturing Technology Centre) reports on how it is currently exploring a range of alternative fuels and power sources and how construction and infrastructure will have one of the hardest journeys to achieve greenhouse gas reductions.

Then there’s the latest regulatory report and market trends, including a special feature on North America, from our colleague, Chris Sleight, MD of Off Highway Research.

There’s plenty more in this issue and we hope you enjoy the read. I look forward to meeting with many of you in person at the CEA AGM and conference.

Suneeta Johal

Chief Executive

Construction Equipment Association