Hillhead 2026: The future of plant is making existing assets work harder

Hillhead 2026 made one thing abundantly clear: innovation in the construction, quarrying and recycling sectors is no longer centred solely on buying new machines. Instead, the conversation is shifting towards how businesses can achieve greater productivity, lower emissions and stronger returns from the fleets they already own.

Hillhead only happens every other year, and for this show MD Tim Howard and SD James Fox attended on a very sunny, and very hot summers day in June. The show was the biggest in its 44-year history, and, as always, it was a fantastic event for the quarrying, construction and recycling industries.

Across the live demonstrations, manufacturers showcased advances in electrification, hydrogen, digital machine control and connected equipment. While low and zero emission technologies attracted significant attention, they didn’t dominate the exhibition in the way some might have expected.

Instead, much of the conversation centred on improving the performance of today’s fleets. OEMs were placing greater emphasis on telematics, machine connectivity, fuel efficiency and operational data, helping contractors and plant owners extract more productivity from diesel powered equipment already in service. It reflected the reality that, for many businesses, the transition to alternative power will happen gradually rather than overnight.

Rather than presenting electrification as the only route forward, manufacturers demonstrated a more balanced approach. Battery electric and hydrogen powered machines clearly have an important role to play, particularly in specific applications and regulated environments, but improving the efficiency of conventional equipment remains just as important for the vast majority of operators.

Tim Howard MRICS, ASA, Managing Director, reflected:

“Hillhead has always been where the industry comes to see what’s next, but this year there was a noticeable shift in the conversations. It wasn’t simply about replacing equipment. It was about extracting more value from existing fleets, understanding when investment genuinely delivers a return and planning asset lifecycles more strategically.”

For many organisations, that means taking a fresh look at equipment that still has years of productive life remaining. As technology develops, machines are increasingly being upgraded, refurbished or redeployed rather than automatically replaced, creating new opportunities to maximise return on capital while supporting more sustainable business practices.

One of the most interesting themes at Hillhead was the industry’s pragmatic approach to decarbonisation. Rather than positioning battery electric machines as a wholesale replacement for diesel, many manufacturers focused on providing customers with multiple technology pathways depending on application, duty cycle and site requirements.

JCB’s hydrogen powered machines were a particular talking point following regulatory approval for its hydrogen combustion engine, marking an important milestone in the development of alternative fuels for heavy equipment. While widespread adoption will depend on the availability of hydrogen infrastructure, the technology demonstrates that manufacturers continue to explore practical alternatives for applications where battery electric solutions remain challenging.

At the same time, manufacturers such as LiuGong demonstrated both conventional and battery electric equipment alongside an expanding UK dealer network, signalling a long term commitment to the UK market and reinforcing confidence in customer support as the brand continues to grow.

James Fox ASA, Senior Director, added:

“One of the biggest takeaways from Hillhead was that businesses aren’t simply replacing machines because new technology exists. They’re investing where it delivers measurable productivity gains, while continuing to maximise the value of existing fleets. That creates significant opportunities in the secondary market, provided organisations understand the value of those assets before making disposal decisions.”

The emphasis on extending asset life was evident throughout the exhibition. Better fleet data, predictive maintenance and connected machine technologies are enabling owners to make more informed decisions about maintenance, utilisation and replacement. Rather than shortening equipment lifecycles, technology is increasingly helping businesses maximise the return from assets already on their balance sheet before investing in the next generation of machinery.

For Hickman Shearer, Hillhead reinforced an important reality. The industry’s future won’t be defined by a single power source. Diesel, electrification and hydrogen will each have a role to play depending on application, but the common thread across every discussion was making better use of capital equipment. The most successful businesses won’t necessarily be those investing in the newest equipment at every opportunity, they’ll be the organisations that understand the value of every asset they own, know when to retain it, when to redeploy it and when market conditions make it the right time to sell.

For Hickman Shearer, that’s where independent valuations, market intelligence and informed disposal strategies become increasingly valuable as the industry continues to evolve.

We look forward to attending the next instalment in 2028, it will be really interesting to see how the industry develops over the next two years, both in new machinery, alternative power sources, and further advances in electrification as well as the way business owners and lenders manage their existing assets and portfolios.

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