Every week, I speak with members who are carefully considering what comes next for their businesses. You want clear information, practical insight and a better sense of what’s ahead, so you can make good decisions with confidence.
That is why the CECE Market Update on Thursday, 26 February 2026 (13:00–14:30 GMT) matters. This online session brings together CECE leadership and leading economic experts to launch CECE’s Annual Economic Report, offering a clear, data-led view of where the construction equipment market stands in 2025 and what is likely to shape 2026.
Europe is not remote from our day-to-day reality. What happens in European markets, regulation and supply chains affects us directly. Staying informed is part of staying competitive.
The session will be opened by Phil Layton, the new President of CECE, who will set out priorities for the year ahead, followed by expert market insight from CECE and international economists. It is exactly the kind of grounded, practical intelligence our sector needs.
Register here: 👇
CECE Market Update
Closer to home, we have just published the latest Heavy Construction Equipment Remuneration Report with Elite Consultancy Network. Based on more than 700 responses across construction equipment, cranes, powered access and hire, it reflects exactly what many of you are experiencing.
Pay still matters, but it is no longer just about salary. Benefits, flexibility and support for health and wellbeing now play a central role in recruitment and retention.
That is one of the reasons we have partnered with Personal Group to bring enhanced employee benefits and wellbeing support to CEA members through HAPI, hosted on our WorkForce page. This partnership is about giving businesses of all sizes access to benefits that would normally only be available to much larger organisations.
Through HAPI, members can give their teams access to financial services, health cash plans and wellbeing support, alongside everyday savings with major retailers and a wide range of employee discounts. It also opens the door to affordable insurance for healthcare, pets, gadgets, cars and travel, helping people feel more secure in the areas that matter most to them.
It is a simple, realistic way for businesses of all sizes to support financial, physical and mental wellbeing – and to attract, retain and motivate a skilled workforce at a time when recruitment and retention remain very real challenges for many in our sector.
Download the Remuneration Report here👇
Remuneration report
Find out more about WorkForce and HAPI here👇
WorkForce / HAPI
Enginuity’s SME Snapshot Survey has now launched. It is designed to capture the real experiences, priorities and pressures facing small and medium-sized businesses in engineering and manufacturing, building on the success of the first report in 2025.
I meet regularly with the Enginuity team as part of our wider partnership to support the engineering sector, and this survey is a key part of that work. SMEs are the backbone of our industry, yet their reality is too often missing from the national debate. This survey gives you a direct route into that conversation.
Every response strengthens the case we make on your behalf. It turns individual challenges into collective evidence that helps shape decisions on skills policy, manufacturing strategy and long-term investment.
Take part in the survey – your opinion matters👇
SME Snapshot survey
This focus on people and practical support is also why I am very pleased to welcome Sharon Mughal to the CEA as our new Commercial Manager from January 2026. Sharon brings a wealth of experience from across trade associations and understands what businesses need from a modern membership body: clarity, relevance and services that genuinely help. She will play a central role in strengthening member value, partnerships and the support we offer across the supply chain.
All these themes come together at our Members’ Forum on 25 March in Leicester, hosted by Trelleborg, with a networking dinner the evening before on 24 March. It is a chance to step back, hear from market and technical experts, and have honest conversations with people who understand your world.
Register here👇
Members’ Forum link
Please book early – our last Forum sold out, and we had to operate a waiting list.
Looking further ahead, we will also be hosting the CECE Congress in London from 27–29 October 2026, bringing European leaders to the UK and giving our sector a strong platform on home soil.
This is your association. Our job is to listen, translate and represent – and to make sure your voice shapes what comes next.
Viki Bell, Chief Executive, CEA (Construction Equipment Association)