After a difficult year in 2024 for construction equipment, Seimat, the trade association representing manufacturers on the French market, anticipates a stabilization in 2025 (-1%), thanks to a possible rebound in the 2nd half of the year. This would be driven by the revival of infrastructure projects and public initiatives to boost the housing sector and the ecological transition.
In 2024, the sector suffered an overall decline of -20%, which was less marked in the handling and lifting equipment category, down by 10%. Another category that held up well was machine guidance equipment, down just 4%. These technologies, which optimize the precision of operations on worksites, also improve productivity and reduce the carbon footprint of equipment. The biggest fall was in concrete (-47%), which has been particularly hard hit by the crisis in the construction industry.
38,000 units
However, in view of the economic trends supported by the sector's federations (FFB, FNTP, DLR, SMBPE and Routes de France), Seimat members are "cautiously optimistic". The second half of the year could thus see a more favorable dynamic for certain equipment segments, in particular equipment designed to improve productivity and reduce the carbon footprint of worksites.
The hardware market could thus reach 38,000 units by 2025.
Against this still complex backdrop, the federation is focusing its action in 2025 on several objectives: decarbonization, digitalization and changing uses. It aims to strengthen its support for companies through market studies and technology watch, while also stepping up its actions to recruit and train for the boom in new technologies and alternative energies. Seimat companies represent sales of 5.5 billion euros, including 4.8 billion in France, with 31,300 jobs (direct and induced).
