Flights to Munich are booking up for the Bauma equipment show in April, with more than 500,000 equipment buyers expected to attend the triennial extravaganza. International market analyst David Phillips talks about why construction equipment is selling out like hotel rooms in Munich, and offers key insights into the huge growth of manufacturers from China that will be exhibiting at the show. He also answers our question: Is Chinese equipment for real, or is it all for show?

David C.A. Phillips
Managing Director of Off-Highway Research, London

The Off-Highway Research management consultancy specializes in international construction and agricultural equipment market research and analysis. The London-based firm, which opened shop in 1981 as part of The Economist Intelligence Unit, claims to be the largest firm of its type in the world, with offices from Asia to the U.S. In a 2003 conversation with ENR, Phillips assessed the global equipment hotspot of China: "The international manufacturers have been looking very closely at the Chinese market. Instead of exporting, they are manufacturing locally."