Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85916
Lattatudes EDITORIAL Editorial Director, Marcia Gruver Doyle, mgruver@rrpub.com Editor-in-Chief, John Latta, jlatta@rrpub.com Executive Editor, Tina Grady Barbaccia, tbarbaccia@rrpub.com Editor Emeritus, Kirk Landers, kirk.landers@att.net Truck Editor, Jack Roberts, jroberts@rrpub.com Construction Editor, Tom Jackson, tjackson@rrpub.com Contributing Editor, Tom Kuennen, expwys@expresswaysonline.com Contributing Editor, Dan Brown, danbrown4@msn.com DESIGN Art Director, Sandy Turner, Jr., sturner@rrpub.com Graphic Designer, Kristen Chapman, kristenchapman@rrpub.com PRODUCTION Senior Production Director, Leah Boyd, lboyd@rrpub.com Advertising Production Manager, Linda Hapner, lhapner@rrpub.com Production Director, Leah Boyd, lboyd@rrpub.com Production Director, Diane Klischer, dklischer@rrpub.com PROJECTS Project Director, Jennifer Brady, jennifer.brady@rrpub.com PUBLISHING/ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Senior Vice President / Construction Division, Dan Tidwell Executive Publisher Construction Division, Michael Porcaro Executive Publisher Construction Division, Joe Donald Controller, Paige T. Fair ADVERTISING SALES Listing on page 43 CIRCULATION Circulation Director, Stacy Stiglic, sstiglic@rrpub.com HONORS 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award Winner Three-time Jesse H. Neal Awards Finalist Boger Award Honorable Mention Richard E. Lowell President's Award Multiple ASBPE Awards A view from across the pond I t wasn't postcard Paris. It wasn't one of those enchanted springtimes the city can unfold. It was cold, windy, cloudy and it rained a lot. It was, to say, the least, unpredictable weather. At least three times I sheltered from a heavy rain, small hail and biting wind combo only to find less than ten minutes later it was clear- skied, hot, a little bit humid and eye-squintingly bright. But only for ten minutes, then back into the cycle. Ah, but it was Paris. This year's huge Intermat international construction equipment show in the tough northern suburbs of the city was something of a hard week to read without the metrics, and I won't have those in time for this column. It had an uneven feel. There were good days and ordinary days for vendors. Some parts of good days were better than others. The weather probably had something to do with it, and this is Europe where Paris is so easy to get to that a lot of visitors probably planned an overnight trip and could choose their day. Outside exhibitors including the big cranes and live earthmoving demonstrations, suffered a little bit with the weather, but there were enough sunny hours to keep them relatively happy. The show left no doubt that the global market for construction equipment is a huge factor in what happens right here at home. Russia was a big surprise, getting a lot of attention as perhaps the quickest-growing market. Brazil and India are not far behind. Consider that China is about 51 percent of the global market for construction equipment. And the show was packed with Chinese manufacturers big, small and in-between, looking at any and all markets. It can be an odd show for Americans as you head to booths with the familiar name of a major U.S. OEM only to find there is no-one there from stateside and the machinery on display is to be sold only in Europe and Africa. It helps you realize the truly global reach of these big players. But by and large American companies seemed to 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 800-633-5953 Mike Reilly, Chairman, CEO Brent Reilly, President David Wright, Chief Administrative Officer Shane Elmore, Chief Process Officer Linda Longton, Vice President, Editorial In Memoriam: H. Pettus Randall II (1911 - 1971) - Founder H. Pettus Randall III (1945 - 2002) - Chairman www.rrpub.com be pretty happy with the traffic to their booths. I got the impression I was seeing the slow climb out from recession continuing to be a steady, predictable, bankable process. Some of the profit and production numbers for American corporation were impressive, and their optimism, including an increasing commitment to spending R&D money, was equally encouraging. I'll think they'll come home well satisfied. I did. Ah, Paris. The bistros and the boulevards, the museums and the Metro, the wines and cheeses. Ah, oui. But man, it's good to be home. by John Latta, Editor-in-Chief jlatta@rrpub.com Better Roads May 2012 3