News
News
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the New Year and extend my best wishes for a happy new year. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of our member companies, related ministries and agencies, and related organizations for your continued support and kindness to the activities of Japan Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association（CEMA）.
This year, based on the association's founding principles of "contribution to the world through harmony and development" and "symbiosis and competition," we are renewing our commitment to contribute to the sustainable development of society through the transformation and dissemination of the association's activities.
Last October, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan exceeded the number before the COVID-19 pandemic, and many of you may have felt that life is finally returning to the way it used to be. In addition to the general meeting and the New Year's Greeting Party, our association also held a training session for members for the first time in four years, and we were happy to see the resumption of business and exchange among members after a long absence.
Under such circumstances, CEMA announced the construction machinery demand forecast for fiscal years (FY) 2023 and 2024, regarding the market trend of construction machinery. The full-year demand forecast for FY2023 is expected to increase both in Japan and exports, rising 5% from the previous year to 3,192.1 billion yen, a record high for the third year in a row. In FY2024, both domestic demand and exports are expected to remain strong, and further record-breaking demand is anticipated.
The strong performance over the past few years can be attributed to the resumption and activation of economic activities due to the after-COVID-19, improved deliveries of parts and materials that had been stagnant, and an easing of the supply-demand balance for vessels, etc. On the other hand, there are also a number of causes for concern, including sharp fluctuations in exchange rates, the conflict in Russia and Ukraine, and the situation in Israel and the Middle East. On the other hand, there are also a number of concerns such as sharp fluctuations in exchange rates, the conflict in Russia and Ukraine, and the situation in Israel and the Middle East.
In the mid- to long-term, there are also many issues to be addressed, such as GX compliance, DX compliance, strengthening of international environmental regulations, supply chain instability, securing and training human resources, optimization of transactions, and the 2024 logistics problem.
Our mission is to support the Japanese construction machinery industry, which is responsible for the world's infrastructure, and we will work even harder than before to address the above issues.
Finally, I would like to conclude my New Year's greetings by wishing everyone a safe and wonderful year 2024.
Hiroto Honda
Chairman
Representative Director of Caterpillar Japan LLC