Who will speak for you…?

May 23, 2025 Long Form

We live in an age of instant gratification. 280-character posts on Twitter or X, as we now call it. Short-form vertical videos that barely register as they flicker across our retinas. Global news reduced to political soundbites and clickbait headlines.

I read just such a headline yesterday. It came out of Australia and it stopped me in my tracks.

“BHP says the return of unions is the definition of unproductive.”

For those unfamiliar, BHP is a mining giant. In this instance, they’re talking about extracting iron ore in Western Australia. And they know a thing or two about productivity. Australian mines are finely tuned machines; extracting as much as possible, for as little as possible. Productivity is their middle name. It’s in their DNA.

So when the world’s biggest mining company starts publicly fretting about a potential loss of productivity, people pay attention.

But here’s the thing. There’s more to this story than a single line in a press release.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #940

May 23, 2025 Video

In today’s show: Liebherr sets its sights on conquering the Australian mining sector; Caterpillar’s energetic outlook on the sites of the future; CASE’s click and dig function takes the strain out of repetitive tasks; and in our latest look back at Bauma 2025, we’re checking out the latest product offerings from Gehl.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: Who will speak up for you?

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

Locked up tight…

May 22, 2025 Long Form

Are equipment manufacturers restricting your right to repair?

Are we, as an industry, walking into a trap? A trap laid – deliberately or otherwise – by equipment manufacturers? Are we on the brink of a new era where we’re not just discouraged from maintaining our own equipment but actively prevented from doing so?

For years, construction equipment manufacturers – much like their counterparts in the automotive sector – have had us over a barrel when it comes to parts. “Failure to use genuine parts will invalidate your warranty,” they warn. It’s written into purchase agreements, lease deals, and operator manuals.

Setting aside the fact that these parts are for a machine that YOU own and YOU paid for, it has always irked me that manufacturers go out of their way to ensure you pay top dollar for replacement parts and consumables. You can shop around for the machine itself, comparing models from various brands and sources. But once they have you locked in, they slam the door shut to ensure any parts added to your machines are supplied by them, and them only.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #939

May 22, 2025 Video

In today’s show: JCB Pothole Pro goes to work in Canada; need to manage attachments? John Deere has got you covered; we’re down on the beach with Mammoet; and in our latest look back at Bauma 2025, we’re revisiting the Develon stand.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: Locked up tight – Are plant owners and operators walking into a repair and maintenance trap?
Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

When the free market, isn’t

May 21, 2025 Long Form

As children, we’re fed a series of white lies and untruths: Carrots help you see in the dark. Cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis. Watching too much TV will turn your eyes square.

As adults, we’re told a different set of fibs: Politicians have our best interests at heart. Trickle-down economics works. Hard work always pays off. And then there is, perhaps, the greatest falsehood of them all: The market sets the price.

We are taught that in a capitalist free-market economy, prices for goods and services are determined solely by the invisible hand of supply and demand. That sacred phrase “the market sets the price” is etched into every economics textbook, every political speech, and every justification for soaring prices or stagnant wages.

But that idea, like Santa Claus watching who’s naughty or nice, falls apart under scrutiny.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #938

May 21, 2025 Video

In today’s show: Cat’s rotary cutters ease the daily grind; Bergmann rolls out a new electric dumper; and rustle up some pancakes because we have syrup, thanks to Yanmar. In our latest look back at Bauma 2025, we’re taking a stroll around the Kinshofer stand.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: Beyond Fuel Part 3.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

When it all falls down

May 20, 2025 Long Form

The article you’re about to read is part essay; part confession. It is a story about how, amidst tragedy, I/we default all too easily to cliche. When a person dies, we immediately dig out the phrase “our thoughts are with their friends and family”. In the event of a company collapse, we dredge up the equally trite “our thoughts are with the employees and the supply chain”. In both instances, we have a strange tendency to overlook the primary victim; to shift our focus; and to look away too soon.

I hope this article goes some way toward setting the record straight.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #937

May 20, 2025 Video

In today’s show: Steelwrist turns 20; a JCB 4CX goes to work; block paving made easy; and in our latest look back at Bauma 2025, we’re savouring the Wacker Neuson razzmatazz.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: Beyond Fuel Part 2.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

Is the CMA probing Scottish demolition?

May 19, 2025 Collusion

It feels like deja vu all over again.

I was at the Bauma exhibition in 2019 when I first heard that several UK demolition companies had been raided by officers from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). That news, when it came, was a collection of rumour, speculation and gossip. Even though I asked the CMA to confirm that (a) the raids had taken place and that (b) it was investigating the UK demolition industry for evidence of collusion, it would be several months before those initial rumours were confirmed.

It would be four years more until those rumours resulted in the handing down of £60 million in fines to 10 members of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors.

Fast forward six years to Bauma 2025 which took place in Munich a few weeks ago. During my time there, I was told that the CMA had once again turned its investigative magnifying glass upon the UK demolition sector. But this time, rather than focusing upon London and the Midlands, it was looking further North – much further North – to Scotland.

This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.

The Break Fast Show #936

May 19, 2025 Video

In today’s show: We take a longer look at Volvo’s latest articulated haulers; we’re on site with Caterpillar excavators; Dynaset, and the law of attraction; and in out latest look back to Bauma 2025, we have a mini epic for you.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: Beyond Fuel Part 1.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.