NordicWoodJournal.com presents new data on the Swedish forwarder market for Q1 & Q2 2019. As the last year had poor machine sales in Sweden due to undersupply of machines, this year seems to be significant better. The indication is that 2019 might have over 350 units registered for the full year.
Since 2014 (but also many years before 2014), John Deere has been the undiscussed market leader on forwarder sales in Sweden. But this year we can se a new situation. Komatsu has gained 8% more market shares, lost by John Deere, which makes Komatsu as number one in Swedish forwarder sales so far. With a market share of 32,5% they are slightly before John Deere who has a share of 30,2%. As number three we have Ponsse (14,8%) and Rottne as No four (11,2%). EcoLog, Gremo, Sampo, Logset and Tigercat are fighting over the last 11,3% of the market.
Increased forwarder size
Sweden is a forwarder market with a big range of machine sizes. From small, in stand operating forwarders as Malwa and Vimek or 10 ton specialized thinning forwarders to 20 ton load capacity machines as the Rottne F20D or Tigercat 1075C. The average size forwarder though, is a rather big machine of 15 ton (metr) load capacity. Typical forwarders in this size span is Komatsu 855 and John Deere 1510G. But the most common weight class of all forwarders in Sweden is the 19-ton forwarders (19 ton load capacity). A quarter of all sold forwarders in Sweden has a load capacity of 19 ton or more. The average size of forwarders is increasing over time in Sweden. Every extra cubic meter on the load helps to challenge poor profitability for the contractors.
Red and green rules the forwarder market
Looking at the table of most frequent models registered, it shows that eight out of twelve machines are red or green. John Deere 1510G is the most common forwarder in Sweden right before the Komatsu 895.
But even if John Deere and Komatsu have a very strong foothold on the Swedish forwarder market, the share for other brands seems to increase slowly. The Swedish market for forwarders and harvesters is the second largest CTL-market in the world after the Russian market. This year, almost every fifth purpose built CTL-machine will end up in Sweden.
Today nine different brands are fighting for their market shares and two of them, Ponsse and Sampo-Rosenlew, have announced that they have higher ambitions than the figures shows today. Ponsse builds, step by step, a strong service and support network in Sweden and Sampo-Rosenlew now has a range of machine models that can challenge a larger part of the Swedish market share for both forwarders and harvesters.
NordicWoodJournal.com will continue to monitor the Swedish forwarder market and keep you updated about the Swedish forest machine battlefield. Will Komatsu be able to keep their top position until end of the year?
NordicWoodJournal.com has several articles about forest machine markets. Here you can find some of them:
Forest machine sales in Finland 2018
Finnish forest machine market 2017 compare to the Swedish
NordicWoodJournal.com’s forwarder data for the Swedish market is compiled with data from the Swedish Transport Agency and its covering forwarders with a load capacity over 9 (metr) tons.
