ConExpo / ConAgg 2023

Marlin Technologies at ConExpo 2023

Marlin Technologies had a large presence at ConExpo / ConAgg, the very large construction industry trade show in Las Vegas March 14-18, 2023. Held every three years, it’s massive:

• Over 1800 exhibitors occupying over 64 acres of exhibit space.
• Our team logged an estimated 400,000 steps in those few days!
• We meet with dozens of current and future customers, working on applications for our standard and custom electronic modules.

In case you missed it, here are a few learnings we took away from the huge exhibition:

EV’s were the talk of the show, with new vehicles being revealed by many vendors

This was the dominant topic for pre-show publicity, yet in reality we noticed many vehicles are being shown without firm rollout dates. Traditionally powered construction equipment still occupies the lion’s share of the market. Even though industry experts cited in OEM/Off-Highway indicate by 2025 the majority of heavy equipment will move to electric or hybrid engines, we are not sure the change will happen that quickly.

Marlin’s experience in EV conversions from traditional power sources means we have experience in some of the challenges that come up. With many of our customers moving in this direction, we have seen the technical obstacles that present across different types of vehicles. Click here to see our case study of an EV conversion in the turf care industry.

Innovative Technologies were present but not dominant

While we read substantial pre-show promotion of innovative technologies like Hydrogen engines, these were few and far between on the show floor. Clearly traditional gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles are being designed to reduce emissions and fuel consumption, as regulations are tightening quickly.

There were quite a few Auxiliary Power Units for HVAC use displayed throughout the show

Several of Marlin’s customers are successfully using our technology to control and manage these systems which allow a vehicle’s main engine to remain off while the APU maintains comfort in all seasons via battery power. We enjoyed seeing our products throughout the show as part of these units. This approach is a way to reduce costs, energy consumption, noise and carbon footprint.

On the controls side, we continue to see displays replace gauges in just about every application

No surprises here. We also saw quite a few applications using off the shelf solutions that often include more features than a client needs – which drives up cost with little benefit. The Marlin approach is to work together with our customers to design solutions that are just right, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

What do all these developments have in common? Changing or evolving needs for vehicle data and communication between components. With such a focus on energy and emissions, the need to be most efficient with machine operation is heightened, and therefore there is a large increase in the need for control integration to preserve energy.