At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., equipment makers and distributors were in a good place. There had been some talk about the construction cycle peaking in 2020 and perhaps cooling off, but sales were strong and backlogs among contractors remained healthy. But as the pandemic stretches on, the effects of construction shutdowns, collapses in state and local revenues and a pullback in private construction have equipment manufacturers, distributors and suppliers facing tough choices.

Largely classified as an essential service, construction has kept going in most U.S. states and cities through the pandemic, but new projects are being delayed and preconstruction work has slowed on others. Bids are drying up, and with thinner backlogs, contractors and fleet managers are buying less iron.

然而，尽管新建筑设备的订单在第二季度急剧下降，但前景并不完全是严峻的。在中年报告和第二季度的收益声明中，设备制造商在减轻大流行的打击方面统一了统一，并专注于接下来的事情。

卡特彼勒（Caterpillar）董事长兼首席执行官吉姆·乌姆普比（Jim Umpleby）在公司的2q收益报告中说：“我为全球团队继续专注于安全而感到自豪。”“在第二季度，我们的员工和经销商仍然致力于在非常具有挑战性的条件下提供世界所需的基本产品和服务。”卡特彼勒（Caterpillar）报告说，第二季度的销售和收入同比下跌31％，其经销商报告的机器和发动机库存减少了约14亿美元，而去年同期增加了5亿美元。

卡特彼勒（Caterpillar）几乎不仅仅是看到由于19日大流行而导致的销售下降。总部位于日本的Komatsu报告说，由于北美，欧洲和亚洲以外的销售量大量销售，全球全球销售额的下降25％。Komatsu董事长兼首席执行官Hiroyuki Ogawa将对新机器的需求减少与2008年的金融危机进行了比较，该公司的需求下降了30％，而2008年为40％。已经平息了，需求已经在市场上恢复过来。但是，对于其他战略市场，除了中国外，仍有感染传播的地区，需求前景不确定。”但是他补充说，Komatsu的Komtrax远程信息处理系统的数据表明，整体机器使用率已经恢复到前COVID-19的水平，而在2008年金融危机之后的运营水平恢复了近两年的时间。

在Terex-whose精灵看到高空作业平台a 52% drop in global sales in Q2—an initial plummet in sales at the start of the pandemic has leveled off, according to CEO John Garrison. “2Q sales have stabilized, but we are below pre COVID-19 levels,” he said on a July 31 quarterly earnings call.

The wipeout of construction equipment’s rosy outlook for 2020 goes well beyond the big players, according to surveys conducted by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

“事情看起来很强大，然后击中了。AEM政府和劳资关系高级副总裁Kip Eideberg观察到，这种积压的时间很快就完全消失了。“新设备的订单开始枯竭，尽管其中一些自动反弹，但毫无疑问，Covid-19对该行业造成了损失。”

But while most major equipment manufacturers have been able to at least partially resume production at their facilities in the U.S. and abroad, possible constrictions in the supply chain, particularly from smaller domestic suppliers, could lead to bottlenecks for manufacturing capacity into 2021.

AEM的调查发现，中型和较小的制造商对其国内供应商的生存时间足够长，可以看到需求恢复。“我担心的是到2021年的剩余时间，” Eideberg说。“当经济复苏爆发并再次咆哮时，如果公司无法获得足够的零件和组件来满足需求增加，我们就不会对我们有好处。”

Clean the Machines

由于大流行在美国仍未受到控制，设备公司正在采取措施维持在交货和交通工具期间为工人和设备运营商的安全。在维修访问和其他互动期间擦除设备和社交距离的新程序已成为标准程序，这是已经繁忙的建筑工地的另一层工作。

机器通常会根据需要在工作地点从运营商传递到操作员，而摇摆班次可以使它们保持生产24/7。美国的大多数制造商都将在大流行期间安全运行和运输设备的方式推迟到CDC和OSHA。但是，包括卡特彼勒（Caterpillar）在内的一些人提出了自己的额外建议，以正确消毒设备出租车，并于三月份将指南发送给经销商和运营商。

“In terms of the effectiveness of killing the virus, we wanted to provide reasonable steps to meet CDC guidelines,” says Matt Harrenstein, engineering manager for Cat’s building products group, who oversaw development of the cab disinfection guidelines.

由于CAT需要使Guide在全球范围内有用，因此它避免了推荐任何特定产品，而是专注于使用两次使用之间的驾驶室的一般技巧。他说：“某些化学物质会对我们在驾驶室中使用的某些材料产生负面影响。”“我们不想允许不安全的状况。”

Cat recommends using soap, isopropyl alcohol or non-bleach disinfectants to clean surfaces in cabs, as bleach and solvents can damage the interior components. This includes the numerous touchscreens found in modern equipment cabs, which Harrenstein says can be disinfected in the same way as any smartphone.

“Using wipes and wiping down cabs after function time is key,” he says. “Not leaving residue on contact surfaces was one of key things we wanted to get across.”

For equipment firms that rely on in-person interactions, the pandemic has accelerated a shift to online processing and contactless handoffs. Auctioneer Ritchie Bros. has sidelined its huge in-person auctions of used equipment in favor of pushing online-only bidding. But even equipment drop-offs and inspections at Ritchie Bros. events in the North America have required new procedures during COVID-19.

Ritchie Bros.美国和墨西哥运营副总裁凯文·科布斯（Kevin Kobus）说：“当我们收到设备时，特别是出租车。”“我们还暂停了一些政策，让我们避免与卡车司机接触（因此不再现金付款），并安排下车以避免在那里避免太多人。”尽管里奇兄弟（Ritchie Bros.）已经在Covid-19之前已经看到了一半以上的竞标量转移到在线上，但仍然有竞标者想在大流行期间来到院子并踢轮胎。他说：“我们给顾客面具，设有户外洗手站，并让我们的员工确保游客不聚集。”他补充说，但是在竞标日，拍卖剧院已关闭，所有投标现在都在网上提交。

Ritchie Bros.在大流行期间一直很忙。在二手设备市场上可以看到关于建筑需求的不确定性。Ritchie Bros.北美销售总裁Kari Taylor说，承包商不确定他们未来的出价正在寻求短期安排，例如为设备拍卖以符合其现有积压的待遇。“就销售而言，我们看到了创纪录的需求……驾驶员的价格很高。”

According to a Ritchie Bros. market report published in July, used heavy equipment prices have recovered from a dip in the spring, down only about 2% from 2019.

Perhaps most surprising is the kind of customer showing up for equipment auctions. Taylor says Ritchie Bros. is seeing a marked increase in the proportion of end users bidding on used construction equipment, rather than equipment brokers or other intermediaries.

Taylor says this could reflect a trend among contractors who are buying used equipment as needed for current projects, rather than going through their usual channels. “End users could be thinking more project-by-project, rather than planning out a fleet strategy for the next ten years,” she says. “It’s a much more myopic view than normal: ‘I need to finish the project down the street for the next six months. Why not get the dozer, backhoe or dump truck [at auction] from Ritchie Bros. and then put it up for auction later?’ ”

时间不多了

随着美国19日大流行在美国的拖延，预计对设备制造业的不良影响会恶化。

AEM的Kip Eideberg说，尽管对较小的制造商和供应商的一些短期帮助以《薪水保护法》和联邦大流行立法的其他援助的形式出现，但这些政策不能代替真正的需求。“目前，我们的成员公司较小，时间和金钱都用尽，努力保持照明并将员工留在车间。”

根据今年夏天的AEM调查，Eideberg说，在育儿员工的设备制造商中，三分之一不会带回他们。在那些由于大流行而解雇员工的制造商中，五分之四的人不会在当前的市场条件下带回他们。

Temporary relief is critical for keeping the smaller players alive and domestic supply chains from withering away, but without serious spending on public construction, equipment makers will be in a tough bind, says Eideberg.

基础设施支出最初是在联邦一级的立法上的桌子上，但在今年春季早些时候被搁置了，这是Eideberg指出的一名驾驶员，这将有助于设备制造商渡过这一危机。

‘‘我们不是在寻找讲义。我们想要的是真正需要设备恢复的需求。” Eideberg说。“如果联邦政府可以介入并填补州和地方政府的资金空白，并授权长期运输计划，这将使我们有一些长期的确定性。”