Look over there…..  Do you see the smoke signals?  How about the drums pounding?  Can you hear them?  The word is coming and I am not talking about the second coming.  I am talking about the end of concrete pumping as we know it.

Can anyone remember what the rates were ten years ago?  How about twenty years a go?  Look at your invoices today and you can see it right there in black and white.  It hasn't changed.  Well, in some cases it has gone down. 

Oh!  You want a raise?  Sorry, you can't have it right now, because we aren't charging enough.  You see, we have to make pump payments.  We also have to pay for insurance, fuel, repairs, and so on.  We can't pay you what you should  be making because of all this.  Why?  You have to understand that we have to keep our prices low so we can put that little guy across town into bankruptcy.  We have only been trying to break him for ten years, but we feel  he will cave in any day. 

Meanwhile, the manufactures (who backed us), and the banks; along with our insurance companies want their money and we are late.  This down turn in the business has really put us in a crunch.  We want you to be happy because we are keeping you to run a pump.  We are laying off all the office staff.  So be greatful you still have a job.  

How many of you have heard this before?  It might be a good time to learn how to run a crane.  At least the big crane companies know how to run a business.  If some of these big pumping companies had people running them with good business since we wouldn't be on this sinking ship today.  You have already seen some of the little guys go under over the past couple of years.  Just keep watching, because you are  going to see some real poop and real soon.  You are going to see some big players in this industry go away.  It's not going to be pretty either.  Their only hope is to charge prices that meet and exceed their costs.  I doubt this will happen soon enough to bring them out of this tail spin.  I believe you will see some of the "Pumper/Dealers" draw back from these areas where they have been prospecting?  No, Prostituting.  Yes, thats the word.  Sorry, but you can't run a dieing business here and then move part of it there and then run at the same prices that put your business in a hurt to start with.  It costs more money to run a satalite business than it does to have it close where you can keep an eye on things.

So...... Forget about your raise foro now.  We might look at it again next year, but I doubt we will still be in business.  Don't worry, because we will give you a good recommendation. 

Do you see the smoke signals? 

They have been there for years. No one paid attention; they were too busy buying new pick up trucks.

the sooner big companies go tits up it will give the chinese the oppertunity to come here and show us how to work for the cheep american dollar ha ha

There is some validity to what Kretch said... I believe that the problem is not "the big pump company/dealers" . The problem is the banks who kept lending smaller companies money for equipment when interest rates were low, and there was plenty of work for everyone and their competitors. The market corrects itself from years of overinflated building, and here Mr Pump company sits with a mountain of debt, and nothing coming in to pay. Also, shame on lenders who finance new machines with "no payments for 1 year". It sure does make it easy to sign on the dotted line for that new boom knowing you are going to get a years revenue out of it before the payments start. But what happens when your workload goes away, and you need to get out from under that boom just about the time the payments start. You are left upside down in a year old machine. Doesn't take a genious to figure that one out.

Prices are in the crapper right now because everyone is out trying to get whatever work they can. This will take care of itself by weeding out the companies who are pumping for rates that are below cost.  You can only do that for so long before it takes you down....

I believe there is light at the end of this tunnel, and I believe we will see more of it as we head into 2009...

I believe there is light at the end of this tunnel, and I believe we will see more of it as we head into 2009...

As nice as that dream is...... it is still a dream.

Who is going to front all the money for this renewed building increase, the brokeass banks?

Bob

Asia.

That is where the trillion $$$ came from for the Wall Street fiasco.

Your children and grandchildren had better learn to speak Chinese. The money we borrow will need to be paid back or they will just kick us out and take over. And why not? They own us.

Lets all borrow some more money to buy Saudi oil too.

put your money in the tar sands. it might not be cheaper but at least its closer to home. oh, the chinese own that too.

ShortStik

I didn't know that you had sold out too. I thought that Canada was still a free country

from what I hear its not the "small companies",us small companies are the ones keeping pricing up because we dont make money in bunches we have to profit off every job,lol,so to all those always talking the small companies are the problem you need to get your info correct we cant pump for cutrate prices we dont have 60-700 pumps to makeup the difference,if you find a market where theres only small pump companies your prices will be higher,its when you put the so-called "Big Dogs"(that still makes me laugh) in the picture they are the ones that f--- up the prices so leave the little guys alone remember the BD's control the market thats why every where they are at its f----- up,but they are not immuned to whats happened,I want to see whos laughing come April 1st I know one BIG DOG that gonna have to go tee tee with the puppies,and to all that plays the same kind of BS I hope you all get what they deserve BANKRUPTCY and then maybe we could get this industry back up to where it should be

my post was in reply to itallgoesboom I dont know who you work for and I agree with the no payments for a year being bad but it is big companies f----- up the market and as small companies trying to be put out by big ones I hope there backstabbing pricecutting ignorant dumbass and flatout retarded business practices getm all put out of business,its not free enterprise that did the market in its greed plain and simple,the big dogs cant stand to see the little man making more money on a 60 yd slab than they make on a 200 yd slab, well whose fault is that,they are the ones that " control the market " thats there statement not mine ,so of you work for one of the "big dogs" I hope your not one of them that gets kicked off the porch to go squat with the little b-----s or maybe youll just have to go tt with the puppies at any rate I respect your opinion no matter how wrong you are I just hope you do a little research before you go to typing and realize you are probably barking up the wrong tree