Despite the easing of lockdown, it feels like the industry hasn’t yet clicked into gear as the end of 2021 suddenly seems near. Certainly, it has felt like the summer slowdown from Ramadan to Eid and then August’s usual holiday breaks for many have seen us slip suddenly into the Autumn. Hopefully this means that the treacherous heat of the middle months can finally abate and we can all start hitting top speed.
Having said that, we opened the nominations for our brand new awards, the Machinery and Truck Awards (MAT Awards 2022) in August. Held on 25 January, 2022 in collaboration with Construction Machinery Middle East, this brand new addition to your calendar has been introduced to recognise all the amazing work that has been done over the past 18 months by everyone involved in those fields – despite one of the most challenging periods since the economic collapse at the end of the noughties.
I have been personally involved in both since that big crunch and it is exciting to finally be able to recognise excellence in the market. It will also offer fleets, operators, contractors, distributors and manufacturers an opportunity to identify peers and clients that they believe are setting the highest standards for us all to follow.
Most importantly of all, in a competitive and contract-driven environment, the MAT Awards are a snapshot of the strategies, people and products that are enabling progress in efficiency and safety – and bringing best-ever uptime to the market.
Given the areas where the two publications cross-over, it makes sense for this inaugural awards to focus on heavy duty and off-road (but I am exploring the possibility of looking at both fleet and T&L down the line) with the awards celebrating the champions the heart of construction, minining and quarrying and heavy industry.
Given the time that we are in, I am sure contractors and fleets who have excelled in the midst of Covid restrictions and the industry’s dramatic re-set will be high on your own personal list of worthy winners. The awards will also bring out the manufacturers and dealers whose equipment leads the way – whose out-of-the-box innovations deliver critical on-site commercial ‘edge’, day in, day out.
To ensure complete objectivity, the Awards will be judged by a mixture of public votes and a specially recruited judging panel; they are influenced by one criteria only – the informed decision that they are truly the best-in-class.
Ultimately, I am very excited to be able to launch these awards during a moment of huge change for all those involved in these industries. In whatever field you are in, if you are setting new standards of expertise, it is time to reward that excellence. Nominate here.
