A standing ovation

One foreign visitor to SED summed up the show nicely. "It is unusual. At most shows you use a stand to meet people and show off new products, but here you sell off the stand."

Buying a big piece of construction equipment is hardly done on impulse, but the people who come to SED are not just window shoppers. In many cases deals that have been in the pipeline are finalised and serious negotiations started, but the show has also a reputation for orders place on the spot.

For Wirtgen's UK operation, this was a first time at SED. 'But we'll be here again," says MD Paul Field, who described it as "one of the best shows we've ever done".

SED saw the confirmation of several deals that had been under discussion, but Field was surprised to negotiate sales to two people who walked onto the stand. Two of the Wirtgen milling machines, a W350 and W1000, will be going to a major UK planning contractor as additions to his fleet, and an order for a Vogele 1804 paver was placed by a firm just coming into the market.

One of the biggest single orders came from Case, which announced that GE Capital Equipment Services was expanding its fleet of Case mini excavators by 100 machines. Over the past 12 months GE has taken delivery of over 200 of these small machines, and the new order highlights GE Capital's commitment to expansion and rapid growth. "We only deal with premier suppliers and manufacturers such as Case," says GE light equipment manager Martin Durran. "We were delighted to place a further order for over 100 Case mini-excavators at SED 2000." The machines cover the full range from 1.5 to 5t.

While this was Case's biggest order it was by no means the only one. By the end of the show, business director Bob Kelsall reckoned the company would have taken over 150 orders for various types of machine. Even the newest development, the directional drilling unit, part of Case's trencher division, has done well.

"Following SED the stand model is going on demonstration to a client, and I don't expect it to come back," says Kelsall.

Hyundai usually does well at SED and this year was no exception. EY Lee, the firm's MD, says: "This is a quality show for us. We had sold 21 machines straight off the stand by Thursday morning. Will we be back next year? Just try to stop us!"

I-R Bobcat has also been doing good business with GE Capital in recent months. In fact, so good that GE came back for more, adding four 864H tracked loaders to the four bought earlier in the year, along with another two 873Hs and a 453 with a host of attachments, including Bobcat's new surface planer.

The business was done through Bobcat Wales. Director Chris Lucey says: "Mike James of GE was particularly pleased with the performance of the 864s and we hope to be doing some more business later in the year."

Nigel Monk Plant Hire also snapped up a couple of 753 SL wheeled loaders, and N&J Tractor and Plant took a 331 mini. MTS Bobcat, meanwhile, bought two of the new telehandler machines for its hire operation. They were showing for the first time at SED.

Thwaites also had a good show. GAP Group, Thwaites' distributor in Scotland and the Isle of Man, placed an order for 46 site dumpers. Twenty of these are for the popular 6t Powerswivel model, but the group had also taken four of the 9t machines. Hampshire Plant Hire of Winchester was also a substantial buyer, ordering over 20 machines, mainly in the 6t range but also including a 9t model. Another 20 orders came from Wembley-based Lynch Plant Hire for machines ranging from 2 to 6t and a 7 tonner was sold off the stand to Europlant Rentals of North Kent.

Lynch Plant has ordered another five Takeuchi TB070 7t mini excavators to add to its fleet. Lynch now has 10 of this model, plus four of the 5t machines. A TB135 3.5t machine has also gone to KB Handley of Birmingham.

This was the first SED show for the new management group at HM Plant, which handles Fiat Hitachi, Hitachi and Hamm machines among others. David Hearne, operations director, described the show as 'highly successful'. The company secured orders for 10 Hamm rollers in a range of sizes and types, plus selling three of the D-series Fiat Hitachi dozers.

Two of the new D180 models have been sold to Keyway Plant, and the first D150 LGP dozer has gone to Digit Site Services. Excavator sales were also good. "We've been delighted with the show. By Thursday lunchtime our order tally stood at 21 pieces of major kit off the stand," says David Hearne.

The newly established recycling area was seeing plenty of business after a slow start. By the second day a steady stream of visitors was passing over the bridge, which gave a good view of the show. But they weren't just looking.

On the Powerscreen stand two of its machines quickly found buyers. The mobile wash plant for sand and gravel, the first of its kind in Europe, is going to the Hampshire-based Raymond L Brown Group. Too new to have been given a name or number, the plant features a 5m x 1.5m triple deck screen with twin 900mm screws, capable of a 180t/hr throughput. The Chieftain Turbo 1400 mobile recycling plant had also found a buyer in the London area.

Just a few metres away, Nordberg was reporting sales of not one but two of its LT105 Lokotrac plants. One of these crawler-mounted mobile recycling units will be joining a similar machine of R M Penny Plant Hire of Bath. As a matching accessory, Penny has also bought one of the Rammer RD18 concrete cutter/crushers. The second machine has gone to Kane Haulage Ltd of St Albans. This version will be fitted with a Z250 boom and a 323 City hammer from Rammer.

Several of the exhibitors in the crane and access platform sector had a quiet first day, though Kato was hinting at several deals in the pipeline and by the end of the show had confirmed one for a 35t NK350EV mobile crane.

With its factory only a few miles away from SED at New Bradwell, Niftylift was able to take potential customers to see how they operate. Whether this may or may not have been the clinching factor, Niftylift seemed to be doing well. Universal Platforms placed an order for more than 20 machines of various sizes, and one of the Niftylift Heightrider 12 self-propelled machines, plus two trailer versions, a 9m and a 12m, are going to hire company HSS.

Sales off the stand are more common with smaller equipment. Barford's HDX650, the latest and smallest in its dumper range displayed for the first time, went to Norwich builder RG Carter, and Schaeff found a buyer in Portsmouth for the 4.5t HR 18 and 3t HR 14 mini excavators which were on show.

At Sandhurst Manufacturing, salesmen were reporting brisk activity on the line of mini-excavators produced under the SMC logo. The firm was at a new show location and had also taken a demonstration area. It was very pleased with the move.

"We've been overwhelmed by the number of people trying the machines," was one comment.

Sandhurst also acts as agent for Krupp's range of hydraulic hammers, and had sold three of the massive HM2500 units. These have gone to dealers in Ireland on both sides of the border, one to Norman Excavators and two to EMS in the Republic. An order for five of the smaller HM60s had also been placed by Essex firm BTG.

Roger Cordon who heads Sullair's construction equipment division, says the UK had proved a good market for the company's compressors and breakers. In fact, Sullair had just chalked up a big order from their Belfast dealer CPS for a range of equipment, including the new 25kg breaker.

On the MBW stand the small Tornado vibrating screed and the self-propelled Blitzscreed system got considerable attention. "We pulled in a lot of individual orders, mainly from new customers," says a spokesman.

Even those companies with no big orders to report found business was good, with stands busy and firm enquiries from customers.

Imer was close to finalising a five-figure deal for a range of equipment for refurbishing work, and its Irish hoist dealer took one of the new 1500kg materials hoists. The firm is looking for further expansion in Ireland with the appointment of Ace Machinery of Castletown, W Meath, as a distributor for its mixer range.