The user of construction machinery has one primary interest-the performance of his program of work at the lowest possible cost.
The horrendous inflationary cost increases-approximately 50% in the past three years-will certainly cause each user to re-evaluate his equipment acquisition program.
One can anticipate that the user will attempt to hold his unit cost line by extending the use-life of each item by placing greater emphasis on improved preventive maintenance programs.
There is an increasing need for improved quality control in the manufacturing process. The users, in general, are experiencing lower availability on new equipment due to faulty components and poor workmanship. These can be largely overcome by greater emphasis on quality control.
Government rules and regulations, through their safety and environmental rules, are adding greatly to the capital cost of equipment. Most of this increased cost is not recoverable by increased productivity. In most instances the users' critically short capital is being absorbed by these nonproductive uses that perform little useful purpose.
New designs and new models of equipment should be thoroughly tested before releasing for marketing. The user would prefer proven equipment which would include in its base price all development cost rather than the higher operating cost resulting from the additional downtime and extra repair cost. A meaningful warranty could then be put into practice.
Repair parts inventories of dealers and manufacturers should be increased to provide for zero back orders, particularly for current equipment. When a machine is down for lack of even one item, it causes economic distress to the user. The user must have access to a satisfactory supply of exchange components. New equipment must be designed for ease of component replacement and simplicity of field repairs.