The past 12 months revealed several trends certain to change the equipment-management profession. As we head to Conexpo, use this once-every-three-year opportunity to investigate areas to take advantage.
Machines continue to advance mechanically, but technology is changing everything. Integration of sensors has replaced much of the engineering designed to increase hydraulic capacity and engine configurations. Work smarter, not harder.
These sensors enhance performance, coordinating the power required with the process the machine is being tasked to perform. Operator input is eased as the machine adapts to conditions, freeing them to focus on safety and job site requirements. Sensors also monitor machine health, alerting operators as well as maintenance managers to conditions that require immediate or scheduled attention.
Sensor integration has grown as the value of the data produced has grown. Manufacturers knew the value decades ago, and now fleet managers are enjoying the benefits of machine data. For those with systems, that data can inform decisions in a manner unheard of a few short years ago. For those with solid dealer relationships, new partnerships have been forged to manage overall fleet health in an age of growing shortages in the labor force required to do the maintenance.
Data took on an entirely new dimension in 2025 as artificial intelligence proved how mass data can be manipulated for insight and incentive for decision making. A.I. will change the profession in ways that will make the telematics standard look like basic arithmetic.
Back to the mechanical side, 2025 also showed us how automation will change construction equipment. Autonomous and robotic operation, and battery-electric power have moved from dream to reality, proving themselves in construction applications on working job sites.
Finally, on a personal note, 2025 marked the completion of my stewardship of the Construction Equipment editorial department. After 24 years helming this source of ideas and information for the equipment pro, it’s time to put away the laptop and reporter’s notebooks. The years have treated me well, and I appreciate each and every person who has helped us together move the profession forward through what we publish in print and online.
Onward!
About the Author
Rod Sutton
Sutton has served as the editorial lead of Construction Equipment magazine and ConstructionEquipment.com since 2001.
Our mission is to help managers of heavy equipment and trucks to improve their performance in acquiring and managing their fleets. One way we do that is with our Executive Institute, where experts share information and ideas that will enable equipment managers to accurately manage equipment costs so that they can deliver the optimum financial benefits to their organizations.
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