It’s been several years since we’ve seen Tier III & older legacy machines on the US Resale Market in a big way, I see that changing in 2018. Contrary to what many believe, the US Export Market is not dead, it simply took an extended break due to supply issues, not a decrease in demand. Historical buyers found machines to import from other regions (mainly Tier II & III units from Asia) in lieu of their traditional US-based sources.
Tier III units in the US market produced/delivered between 2008 – 2012 will represent the bulk of this export opportunity. In my view the upcoming market will offer a large volume of this iron (trades, fleet buys, etc) beginning in Q1 2018 and extending a few years as significant inventories tap-out: it is a finite resource. Most “post-recession end-users” who held Tier III machines in lieu of purchasing Tier IV-interim machines in the 2011-2014 time-frame will move forward and out of those aged, higher-hour units as confidence in the United States Economy propels new machine sales.
For makes/models with historical overseas market acceptance, “pre-Tier IV machines” will again flow into the Latin American region and other parts of the world. Having a relationship with an experienced, bilingual/fluent and seamless connection to those customers will be crucial in capitalizing on this opportunity. Social Media & more contemporary Marketing Solutions will commonly be used alongside classic Email Marketing Campaigns. Overall 2018 should be a good year for US Machinery Exports and the annual milestone February Auctions in Orlando are just around the corner as a measure, stay tuned…Prospero Año Nuevo!