Earth Moving Construction Machines

Earth Moving Construction Machines section brings together Finland’s leading importers and suppliers of earthmoving machinery. Its member companies supply machinery, equipment and related services for earthmoving, infrastructure construction, mining, equipment rental, industry and the public sector.

Earthmoving machinery plays a key role in building and maintaining the basic infrastructure of society. It is needed in the construction of roads, railways, streets, bridges, tunnels, ports and utility networks, as well as in groundworks and foundation work, mining, environmental construction and land restoration.

The section monitors changes in the market, technology, regulation and the wider operating environment, while promoting a shared industry perspective and dialogue with customers, authorities and other stakeholders.

Earthmoving is everywhere, even though the work itself is often hidden beneath the finished infrastructure or building. Before a building can be erected, a road opened to traffic, or a new electricity, water or telecommunications network brought into use, earthmoving work is required.

Finland’s long distances, varying conditions and four distinct seasons place particular demands on machinery and its use. Choosing the right machine for the right application improves productivity, safety and energy efficiency.

In addition to infrastructure construction, earthmoving machinery is used in agriculture and forestry, industry, logistics and mining. Applications are becoming more diverse as technology enables new ways of working.

The earthmoving machinery sector is about much more than selling new machines. It includes machinery imports, the sale of new and used equipment, rental, factory-installed equipment and modifications, as well as maintenance, repair and spare parts services.

Operational reliability is particularly important on worksites where machinery utilisation rates are high and interruptions can affect the progress of the entire project. Maintenance networks, remote diagnostics, spare parts logistics and skilled service are therefore essential parts of the sector.

At the end of the lifecycle, the reuse and recycling of machinery, components and materials are also becoming an increasingly important part of the overall picture.

Electrification, new fuels and other power sources, positioning technologies, machine control, remote operation, automation and the use of data are rapidly transforming earthmoving.

Technology makes it possible to work more accurately and efficiently while reducing material and energy consumption. At the same time, machinery use and condition can be monitored in greater detail, allowing maintenance to be planned proactively.

The Green Deal for non-road mobile machinery supports voluntary measures by companies to reduce emissions from machinery. The range of power sources is expanding from electricity and biofuels to synthetic fuels, biogas and future hydrogen solutions. At the same time, internal combustion engine technology continues to develop and remains important, particularly in applications where long operating hours, reliability and security of supply are critical.

Earthmoving is an essential sector for society and provides employment across Finland. Skilled professionals are needed in machinery operation, sales, maintenance and repair, transport, rental, as well as in product development and manufacturing.

Technological development is also changing skills requirements. Alongside traditional machinery and maintenance expertise, there is a growing need for knowledge of electric powertrains, automation, software and digital systems.

Supporting the development of the sector

Earth Moving Construction Machines section monitors legislation, market surveillance and other regulation affecting the industry and brings the sector’s views into decision-making. It works in cooperation with customer industries, business organisations, authorities and other key stakeholders.

Its aim is to promote well-functioning markets, responsible business practices and the long-term development of the earthmoving machinery sector.

The Chairman of the section is Jouko Pihlaja from Honkatrading Oy, and Juha Ala-Hiiro is the General Secretary of the section.