Just in case anyone didn't notice, 2004 was a landmark year for the mining industry, with an explosion in demand for metals and coal, much of which was to meet the needs of booming Chinese industrial expansion and strengthening world economy. Orders virtually went through the roof, resulting in manufacturers scrambling for materials and components and tyres in particularly short supply. In 2004 even big financial investors remembered that the mining industry was important to the economy - heady times indeed. World Mining Equipment's upcoming equipment report, produced in partnership with the world leading specialist Parker Bay, will give a full analysis of what machines were shipped and to where. Here are some highlights. According to WME's figures, the number of off-highway trucks with individual payload capacities of 90 tonnes and greater that shipped in 2004 more than doubled the level of 2003. It's worth noting that 2003 was a weak year, the tail end of a five-year down cycle. Although there were indications that mining strengthened at the start of 2004 and that capital budgets would propel an increase in large truck orders, the intensity of demand surprised almost everyone connected with the mining equipment industry.
NSTL
