Pickles national sales manager James Chauncy outlines where the industry is headed for 2026.
How has Pickles seen the quarrying industry change over the past 12 months?
I think that the quarrying industry is heavily dependent upon infrastructure works, major mining tracks, and other elements which cause the sector to fluctuate as it’s quite project driven.
There’s also a constant stream of road maintenance, so quarrying products might be used for subdivisional or property development works.
We’ve noticed that there has been some ups and downs amongst different states. In Victoria, their economy has been hurt over the last 12 months, but we’ve seen Queensland really thrive driven by a few key components as well.
As an example, there’s been some great mining services in Central Queensland and some major roads developments.
We see supply and demand go up and down. Demand obviously goes up when someone in a local quarrying area picks up a contract and they don’t have the equipment and aren’t ready to buy, so they’ll be looking on the second-hand market which is where us at Pickles come into play.
We’ve got a constant stream of crushing and screening equipment that goes through our auctions, and we aim to find a home for them.
Has Pickles seen any new trends emerge in the quarrying industry?
From an asset breakdown perspective, we’ve seen an increase in demand for large mobile jaw crushers.
Because they’re more expensive brand new, the supply isn’t yet there for them, but if someone can get their hands on a second-hand model, it can be a lot more affordable.
The difference is that there hasn’t been as much of a demand for smaller jaw crushers and cone crushers than there’s been for much larger ones. There’s a much bigger supply in the used market for larger equipment.
What are some of the challenges in the quarrying industry and how is Pickles addressing them?
Like everything, the cost of living affects all industries, whether it’s everyday purchasing or a major equipment investment.
The other thing is the weather. South-east Queensland during the first quarter of the financial year and the fourth quarter, the May to October period was extremely wet and that made it very diffuclt for earth movers to go ahead with road building and infrastructure projects.
Obviously, we’re not in control of the weather conditions and we’re not in control of the cost of living, but what we can do is help customers find the right price point specific to them and find the right machine for the right buyer.
What were some important lessons Pickles learnt in 2025?
We’ve found over the past six months that the market has picked up modestly, which has been quite positive.
Prior to this, for 18 months the quarrying industry has been in a difficult period. There was far lesser demand, interest rates are high, and recently we’ve had a couple of interest rate cuts since which has certainty helped, so I think the used market has strengthened recently and is finding stability.
Previously the industry was a lot more volatile post and during COVID, and we’re finding the market beginning to blossom.
What are Pickles looking forward to in 2026?
The quarrying industry has been very good to us at Pickles, and we really enjoy servicing it.
We’ve got good relationships from major contractors through to owner-operators, and we like to strengthen our connections with everyone.
Our big aim is to make sure we’ve got a close relationship with our customers who want to buy recycled gear and equipment, and we want all clients to know that we can help source what they need and help them divest surplus equipment transparently and efficiently.
I think I’m quite buoyant and positively optimistic about the future of the quarrying industry. There’s a lot happening in the renewable side of the sector, so there’s things to look forward to.
How do Pickles think the industry will change in 2026?
I think people are much more deliberate and value-focused in purchasing decisions. What I think we’re starting to see is that customers are making more of a conscious effort to determine what product they want to buy, and why they’re buying it. •
For more information, visit pickles.com.au
.png){kind=small}
