Big Crowds at AHES in Moncton
The 2010 Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show (AHES) brought huge crowds to the Moncton Coliseum Complex in April. According to the show’s organizers, Master Promotions, almost 12,000 people came through the gates to visit nearly 200 booths.
“You could really feel a vibe in the air,” said Rob Moran of Log Max Forestry Inc. in Dieppe, N.B., and an exhibitor at the show. “2010 has started off very well for us. We have had new head sales in Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and that has given us a jump during the current recovery time in the industry.”
Rob Agassiz, General Manager of Waratah Canada said the optimism at the Moncton show seems to be country wide. “I felt the level of optimism at the Moncton show was for sure much more positive this year as stability appears to be returning for many of the contractors, not only in this region, but for much of Canada. Many contractors at the show who we visited with were once again either buying new equipment, or looking to start the process of replacing aging iron. Others were at least optimistic enough to be in the position now of being more comfortable in reinvesting in their equipment fleets, including rebuilding or updating existing machinery.”
At the Wilson Equipment booth, Morgan Cronin, the vice president of the Truro, N.S.-based dealer that handles Komatsu, said he was pleased with the turnout. “There seems to be lots of buyers here and people are optimistic for 2010 but maybe a bit uncertain as we go into 2011 and the stimulus money ends,” he said. “Biomass has been a hot topic at the show and we are seeing a lot of interest in this area, particularly in harvesting heads and other equipment for handling biomass materials,” he added.
The next AHES will also be held in Moncton. It is scheduled for the spring of 2012.
- Bill Tice
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