Australia Construction Equipment Market - Strategic Assessment & Forecast 2024-2029

MARKET INSIGHTS

The Australia construction equipment market is expected to reach 33,077 units by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.62% during the forecast period. The government is investing in infrastructure development projects, including expanding airports, railway lines, roadways, and highways across the country. In addition, the Australian government, in its 2022 budget, allocated USD 9.6 billion for the development of key infrastructure projects. These investments by the government are expected to boost the sales of earthmoving construction equipment over the forecast period. A surge in infrastructure development projects is expected to drive the Australia construction equipment market during the forecast period.

Increased Investment in Public Infrastructure Projects

1. The government in Queensland laid out USD 75 million in its 2022-2023 budget for the construction of common user infrastructure to encourage the development, extraction, and production of critical minerals. The 2023-24 budget has promised to deliver USD 240 million to support development at Macquarie Point in Hobart. 
2. Northern Australia has planned to construct major road, rail, airport, energy, and social infrastructure projects in major cities and across key freight and transport routes in Northern Australia. The total infrastructure in the public infrastructure is expected to exceed USD 144.6 billion between 2021 and 2025.
3. Construction of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project is underway, creating a new end-to-end rail line from Sunbury in the west to Cranbourne/Pakenham in the southeast. It will have bigger and better trains, next-generation signaling technology, and five new stations. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2025.
4. The Australian government is investing USD 230 million over five years from 2023–24 towards the delivery of 2 major construction projects in Cairns. This includes a major expansion to the Cairns Marine Precinct and a new Central Queensland University campus in the Cairns CBD.
5. Australia, in 2022, has approved USD 34 million worth of grants for developing six important projects to boost the development of the critical mineral resource industry. The government is expected to support more than 500 new jobs.
6. For New South Wales, the government has planned to invest an additional USD 302.9 million in the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan. This funding is envisioned to improve capacity and expand transport infrastructure in Sydney’s western suburbs.
7. The upcoming Cross Rail River project is expected to be finished by 2024. The project will include 10.2 km of rail line between Dutton Park and Bowen Hills, 5.9 km of a tunnel under the Brisbane River and CBD, new stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street, Roma Street, and Exhibition showgrounds. The project received a total investment of USD 5.4 billion and is projected to support the Australia construction equipment market.
8. Australia’s first National Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025 focuses on developing road safety infrastructure. The Australian and Tasmanian governments invested over USD 363.9 million in upgrading roads to save lives on Tasmania’s key north-south highway.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

1. Earthmoving equipment accounted for the largest market share of the Australia construction equipment market. Excavators in the earthmoving segment accounted for the largest share in 2023. Rising investment in housing, warehouse expansion, and public infrastructure projects is expected to drive the demand for excavators in the Australia construction equipment market.
2. Construction of the Nowra Bridge Project, costing USD 242 million, is expected to reach completion by 2024. The project involves a new four-lane bridge across the Shoalhaven River. Between Bolong Road and Moss Street, a 1.6 km long roadway will be renovated into three northbound and southbound lanes. The construction of this project is estimated to generate 300 jobs.
3. The construction plan of the Swam River Crossing Project was approved in 2022. It involves removing the signalized intersection at Canning Highway and Queen Victoria Street, realigning the Canning Highway, and constructing a 4-meter-wide standard pedestrian and cyclist path. The project is estimated at USD 280 million and is jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments, each contributing USD 140 million.
4. In 2022, Australia’s government announced the funding of USD 16.7 billion to clean energy, promoting the net zero commitment by 2050. The Powering Australia plan focuses on developing projects that reduce emissions by boosting renewable energy. 
5. In addition, the Spanish company Iberdrola has planned to invest up to USD 3 billion in 2022 in Australia, aiming to boost the country's renewable energy and reach 4,000 MW in the future. Iberdrola acquired the rights to build the world's largest wind farm at Mount James, with a capacity of 1,000 MW, and the 360 MW Broadsound solar plant in Queensland.
6. Recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) indicate that in FY 2022-23, the mining sector generated an unprecedented USD 298.6 billion export revenue for Australia. This amount accounts for approximately two-thirds of the total export revenue for the country and records a 10.5% rise compared to the previous year in 2021-22.

MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

Construction Equipment Manufacturers Launching Smart Construction Solutions for Optimised Performance

Komatsu introduced Smart Construction Field, which allows contractors to analyze data instantly and find cost-effective ways to manage and resource projects. Also, the company launched a Smart Construction Drone to collect visual topography on the job site. This drone technology captures quantities for production tracking and billing, eliminating the manual survey. This drone solution can take photos up to 400 feet above the ground level and be used to pre-verify the job site. Develon has designed its products with a regenerative transmission system (eDrive), an advanced swing system (eSwing), and eWorking systems, which will ensure maximum efficiency with zero emissions.

Increase in Sales of Hybrid and Electric Construction Equipment to Reduce Carbon Emissions in the Country

1. Volvo CE launched its new Volvo CE EC300E Hybrid Excavator in Feb 2023 in the Australia construction equipment market, an environmentally friendly option offering improved fuel efficiency. The machine consumes less than 15% fuel and generates 15% less carbon emissions.
2. In March 2023, Hitachi Construction Machinery announced it would launch new wheel loaders and excavators from Australia's popular ZW-7 and ZX-7 series. These machines are equipped with Stage V-compliant fuel-efficient engines. The excavator engines consist of a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC), and Catalyzed Soot Filter (CSF).

Government’s Infrastructure Investment Program to Propel Sales of Construction Equipment

1. The country has a robust pipeline of public sector-funded projects. The 2022-2023 budget announced an investment of USD 12.0 billion over ten years to important infrastructure projects across the country, such as road and rail projects. In addition, the government promised investments to exceed USD 146 billion between 2021 and 2025, which are projected to support the Australia construction equipment market.
2. In Nov 2023, the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) approved an investment worth USD 4 billion in loans spanning various sectors, including critical minerals, energy, universities, and airports. This initiative expects the development of new infrastructure projects in the northern region.
3. The country’s largest infrastructure projects include WestConnex worth USD 11.3 billion, Sydney Metro (USD 12 billion), and Melbourne Metro Tunnel (USD 11 billion). Moreover, South Australia's government is committed to investing USD 18.6 billion in building new and upgrading infrastructure.

Increased Investments in Renewable Energy Projects to Boost the Demand for Material-Handling Equipment

1. The country’s Powering Australia plan focuses on projects that reduce emissions by boosting renewable energy. Moreover, the Community Solar Banks program is expected to provide approximately USD 68.9 million, which will help Australian households access cheap solar-powered energy.
2. The government invested over USD 4.1 billion in renewable energy generation & energy storage. South Australia attracted approximately USD 4 billion in foreign investment for power generation projects, such as wind, solar PV, solar thermal, batteries, pumped hydro, compressed air, and thermal storage.
3. Iberdrola, in 2022, planned investments worth USD 3.2 billion, aiming to reach 4,000 MW of renewable energy in the future. These investments are expected to surge the demand for material-handling equipment, such as cranes, in the country.

Investment in Transport Infrastructure Development to Propel the Demand for Road Construction Equipment in the Australia Construction Equipment Market

1. Key road projects planned include the M12 Motorway for USD 1.02 billion, USD 373.2 million for the Bruce Highway, and USD 191 million for road investments in and around the new Western Sydney Airport development in New South Wales.
2. Other investments include USD 586.4 million for a major upgrade of the Bruce Highway to widen a 13 km stretch through Brisbane’s outer northern suburbs and USD 540 million to upgrade Tasmania’s important road corridors, including the Bass Highway, the Tasman Highway, and the East and West Tamar Highways.
3. The government allocated USD 230 million over five years, 2023–24, to deliver two major construction projects in Cairns. This includes a major expansion to the Cairns Marine Precinct and the construction of a new Central Queensland University campus in the Cairns CBD.

INDUSTRY RESTRAINTS

Skilled Labor Shortage in the Country to Hamper the Australia Construction Equipment Market

Home Builders Institute (HBI) announced that the construction industry must generate 740,000 new jobs annually to align with the industry's skilled labor demand. Further, the country’s aging population is adding further pressure. It has been projected that by 2066, older people in Australia will account for 21% to 23% of the total population. The skilled labor shortage in Australia is one of the key challenges for the sector, leading to soaring labor costs, which puts pressure on margins. The unemployment rate in Australia surged to 3.7% in January 2023 from 3.5% in 2022 as the number of unemployed Australians grew by 22,000.

Rising Interest Rates May Restrict Demand for Housing Units

The rise in construction costs impacts the Australian housing industry. The contractors are holding off construction of tens of thousands of homes across Australia, despite already gaining planning approval, largely because of surging construction costs, with apartments and townhouses the majority of those shelved in Victoria region. Also, the Housing Association Industry mentioned the continuous rise of construction costs because of high energy prices and inflation. The cost of energy-intensive resources such as cement, glass & aluminum has increased tremendously.

The Scarcity of Industrial Space May Hamper the Pace of Warehouse Development Projects

According to the government’s recent report, at around 0.6% vacancy rate, Australia’s industrial and logistics market is one of the tightest in the world. This is further impacting the industrial rents. For instance, the rental growth of Brisbane in the 1st quarter of 2023 was the highest, rising by 8.6%. Sydney followed them at 8.2%. Adelaide and Perth recorded 2.5% and 2% rental growth over the same period.

VENDOR LANDSCAPE

1. Caterpillar, Volvo CE, Komatsu, Liebherr, Hitachi Construction Equipment, and XCMG are leaders in the Australia construction equipment market. These companies have strong market share and offer diverse sets of equipment.
2. In 2022, Komatsu & Caterpillar accounted for a significant share of the overall construction equipment market in the Australia construction equipment market. Moreover, both companies have a strong distribution network and experience of over 30 years in the region. They provide a wide range of products.
3. Task Forklift, Bobcat, Hangcha, John Deere, Manitou Group, Terex, Hysoon Machinery, Takeuchi, Yuchai, Kanga Loaders, and Toyota Material Handling are niche Australia construction equipment market players. These companies offer low product diversification and have a strong presence in the Australian local market.
4. JCB, SANY, Liugong, XCMG, CNH Industrial, and Merlo Spa are emerging in the Australia construction equipment market. These companies are introducing new technologically advanced products to challenge the market share of market leaders in the country’s market.
5. Sumitomo, Maximal, Yanmar, Kobelco, GEHL, ASV, Kubota, SDLG, Haulotte, Ditch Witch, and Faresin have low product diversification in the Australian construction equipment market, and they are lagging in adopting new technologies.