CEMA reports estimated 2019 shipments totaled $16.6 billion, down 1.3%

The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) reports that 2019 shipments in North America were down 1.3%.

CEMA estimates that shipments totaled $16.561 billion for 2019, a decrease of $162 million from 2018 shipments of $16,723 billion. CEMA estimates that new orders totaled $16.311 billion in 2019. New orders in 2019 were $448 million more than 2018, representing an increase of 2.8%.

Unit Handling orders were up 5.6% and shipments were down 0.7%. In the Bulk Conveying area, orders were down 6.0% and shipments were down 2.8%.

CEMA president Michael Hoehn announced the results at the Association’s 87th annual meeting in Naples, Fla., earlier this month. CEMA tracks new orders and shipped sales volume in nine classes of unit handling equipment and four classes of bulk handling equipment.

The executives representing CEMA member companies who attended the annual meeting expressed cautious optimism and forecasted shipments will be flat for 2020.

CEMA, the industry leader in safety and technical standards and founded in 1933, makes available to member and nonmember companies safety labels for all types of conveyor equipment as well as useful technical information, standards and manuals. Highlights of what are available for purchase:
• Belt Conveyors for Bulk Materials 7th Edition - “The Belt Book”
• Bucket Elevator Book Best Practices in Design
• CEMA Application Guide for Unit Handling Conveyors 2nd Edition - “The Unit Book”

These books are authoritative technical manuals for conveyor design worldwide. Some publications available in Portuguese and Spanish in addition to English.

CEMA also announced that Mike Nisenbaum, director of business development, Gates Corporation, Denver, Colo., was elected president of the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) at the organization’s recent 87th Annual Meeting in Naples, FL.

Other officers elected at the Association’s Annual Meeting:
Vice President – Noel Bell, vice president, conveyor divisions, Martin Sprocket & Gear, Arlington, Texas
Secretary – Andrew Felter, president & CEO, Webster Industries, Tiffin, Ohio
Treasurer – Johnny Wheat, president, 4B Components Ltd., Morton, Ill.

Elected to the Board of Directors:
Ned Thompson, president & CEO, Prab, Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich.
Rich Kosik, president, Itoh Denki USA, Inc., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Tamara Thimmel, president, Bryant Products, Ixonia, Wisc.

Carryover members:
Chris Glenn, director of engineering, FMH Conveyors LLC, Jonesboro, Ark.
George Huber III, president, Industrial Kinetics, Inc., Downers Grove, Ill.
Mike Stegmann, business development manager, Boston Gear, Charlotte, N.C.
Bill Mecke, president, KWS Manufacturing Company, Burleson, Texas
Greg Westphall, director of engineering, Flexco, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Dave Zaleski, director, Dematic, Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Voice of the Conveyor Industry of the Americas, CEMA is an industry trade group founded in 1933 and has 145 member companies.