HILLHEAD 2026 was another resounding success, with the event welcoming a record 627 exhibitors and over 18,000 unique visitors over three days.
As ever, the quarrying, construction and recycling show featured a raft of exciting new machines, including Hyundai’s 22-tonne HX210L crawler excavator, Finlay’s I-130RS impact crusher, JCB’s largest X-Series digger to date (the 50-tonne class 520X), Bobcat’s T650 compact track loader, LiuGong’s 25-tonne 925FCR short-tail excavator, and a prototype version of Powerscreen’s upcoming 1000X Maxtrak cone crusher.
Project Plant spoke to Hillhead event director Richard Bradbury during an exclusive tour of the site in the build-up period. He revealed how the show has evolved over the last four decades and why, in the digital era, demand for in-person exhibitions has never been greater.
“When this show was launched back in the early 80s, it was very much a small, niche outdoor quarrying event,” he explained. “It moved from Jackdaw Quarry to Hillhead off the back of the road building boom in the 1980s. It grew from there but was still a very local quarrying show. As the show has gone from strength-to-strength, it’s become slightly more international, but it’s also broadened out into the wider construction sector.
“The market has changed quite a bit in the UK. Some of those other construction shows like SED don’t exist anymore. Hillhead has certainly expanded as a result of that.”
Richard revealed that while Hillhead remains renowned for showcasing heavy machinery, more mid and small equipment was due to be exhibited this year than ever before. One of the largest changes he’s seen over the past few editions of the event has been the focus on more sustainable options.
“There’s a real sea change going on,” he added. “Whereas up until the last one or two shows we’ve seen electrification in the smaller equipment side of things and hybrid engines and operating systems, there’s a lot more fully electric stuff now. We’re now seeing the electrification of bigger kit as well. For example, this year we’ve got a 50-tonne electric dump truck being launched by LiuGong; we’ve got electric trucks from Volvo Trucks; we’ve got some of the bigger materials processing crushers being operated fully electric.
“There are still the practicalities of how do you charge on site in some of the more remote locations to overcome, but the batteries are getting bigger and more efficient, and it’s got real momentum now.”
Hillhead is attempting to take leadership when it comes to sustainability and is on its own journey to reduce the use of fossil fuels on site. Many of the generators used on-site this year were hybrid, all the indoor stands were powered with HVO, and none of the catering units sold single-use plastics.
Richard described the record number of exhibitors and overall interest in the show this year as reassuring. Rather than being fearful of the impact of digitalisation, Hillhead is embracing it.
“What we’re seeing is how digitalisation is actually increasing the attraction of these face-to-face events because you can’t beat seeing the machines operating and asking the OEMs directly about them. That networking aspect – the social side of it – is really important at Hillhead. All the hotels and bed and breakfasts are booked up for miles around.
“Digitalisation has helped in getting the message out wider. We’ve invested a couple of hundred thousand pounds this year in extending our fibre optic network around the site. We’ve got just under 6km of fibre optic where we can plug in and provide very strong connections for exhibitors. We’ve got exhibitors that will be beaming out demonstrations to the dealer network in the States. Out of our 627 exhibitors, I think 170 have ordered enhanced digital services from us.”
