AEM’s CE Sector Board of Directors met on Nov. 29 during AEM’s Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to discuss a number of key sector initiatives. The agenda also featured updates from AEM staff regarding the association’s service areas, including advocacy, sustainability and trade shows.
CE Sector Board Chair Stephen Roy, executive vice president of The Volvo Group and president of Mack Trucks, called the meeting to order and welcomed Directors to the third and final meeting of 2023.
AEM Vice President of Construction and Utility Sector John Somers then reviewed the 2023 CE Sector Priorities - Customer Expectations, Regulatory Awareness and Engagement, Sustainability Initiatives, and Workforce Solutions.
With several key initiatives to point to in 2023, including the Celebration of Construction on the National Mall, the “Benefits of Construction Equipment Technology and their Impact on Society” report, and the “Clean Air and Low Emissions through Next-Gen Nonroad Equipment“ paper, the CE Sector continues to support the construction and utility industries on behalf of the AEM membership.
Trade Shows
AEM Senior Vice President of Exhibitions and Marketing Nicole Hallada and AEM Vice President of Exhibitions and Event Services and CONEXPO-CON/AGG Show Director Dana Wuesthoff provided an update on exhibitions, including The Utility Expo and CONEXPO-CON/AGG. The Utility Expo 2023 exceeded exhibit space and budget goals while achieving increased satisfaction scores for both attendees and exhibitors. The AEM team continues to evaluate show strategy as they begin planning for CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026.
Sustainability
AEM Vice President of People Strategy Julie Davis reviewed AEM’s recent sustainability efforts and focus for 2024, including a proposal for Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Supply Chain reporting through a uniform platform, simplifying reporting through the supply chain, focused on affordability and incentivizing early adoption.
Davis also discussed the “Off-Road Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 3 Category 11” guidance document . The document was created by industry peers to provide consistency in carbon emissions reporting for use of sold products. Having been approved by the AEM Board of Directors, AEM will submit this document to Greenhouse Gas Protocol in the first quarter of 2024.
Advocacy
AEM Senior Vice President of Government and Industry Relations Kip Eideberg and AEM Vice President of Federal Affairs Kate Fox Wood reviewed recent legislative accomplishments and discussed potential challenges and opportunities at both the state and federal levels, as the AEM team continues to build relationships and momentum for the industry.
Eideberg also encouraged Directors to engage with The AEM Manufacturing Express, AEM’s most ambitious advocacy initiative to date. AEM is poised to partner with member companies to tell their stories, change public perceptions about equipment manufacturing and engage with as many stakeholders as possible while making a lot of noise during a presidential election year when much of the focus will be on the towns and communities where the 2.3 million men and women of the equipment manufacturing industry live and work.
CE Sector Board Priorities
The CE Sector Board approved the following priorities for 2024 and 2025:
- Advocate for the construction industry and proactively engage with policy makers and regulators.
- Support the transformation of the construction industry, recognizing the central role played by technology.
- Define the changing experience and address the evolving needs of construction industry end users and stakeholders.
Directors, along with AEM staff, will continue to define tactics to achieve these priorities in early 2024.
The next meetings of the CE Sector Board are the AEM Year in Review on February 8, 2024, and the Spring Board Meetings on April 9-10, 2024, in Washington, D.C. For more information about the CE Sector Board, contact AEM Vice President of Construction and Utility Sector John Somers at jsomers@aem.org.
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