From Mack headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, SVP of sales and commercial operations Jonathan Randall provided a market update to coincide with World of Concrete in Las Vegas.
"It's been an interested 12-plus months," he said. "We went into 2020 expecting market demand to be lower than 2019 and more on par with the normal replacement level. Then the world changed. Despite the many challenges early in 2020, recovery was stronger than anticipated, and we ended the year much better than expected."
The momentum of the end of 2020 has carried into 2021, he said. He said Mack expects growth, not just replacement demand.
"We expect construction to stay strong for the duration of the year," he said. See his complete video announcement below.
Randall introduced the company's latest product offering for the concrete pumper industry.
The Mack mDRIVE HD automated manual transmission (AMT) is available for order with the Mack MP engine for TerraPro cabover concrete pumpers. Fully integrated with the MP8 engine and Mack axles, the 13- and 14-speed mDRIVE provides concrete pumper customers a proven solution to help improve performance, boost on-site productivity, and safety and maximize uptime.
The mDRIVE HD features split-shaft PTO functionality, receiving output directly from the transmission, creating higher torque for large auxiliary equipment like concrete pumps.
The Mack mDRIVE HD features ruggedized internal components, including stronger gears and synchros and is built to withstand the rigors of job sites and frequent shifting often found in construction applications, according to the company. The 13- and 14-speed mDRIVE HD AMTs feature low-ratio creeper gears that enable improved startability and ultra-low speed maneuverability.
“Mack’s firm belief in integrated components allows us to deliver high-performance features tailored to specific applications,” said Tim Wrinkle, Mack construction product manager, in a prepared statement. “The integrated mDRIVE and MP8 engine pairing delivers on the needs of high horsepower concrete pumping applications and eliminates the need for traditional shifting, allowing drivers to focus on safely navigating jobsites and operating their equipment.”
The mDRIVE HD also includes advanced standard features like Rock Free, which allows drivers to free stuck vehicles by rocking the truck back and forth by pumping the accelerator, and Auto Neutral, which improves jobsite safety by automatically putting the mDRIVE into neutral when the parking brake is set. Additional features include MaxBrake, Performance Mode and Grade Gripper, which helps prevent rolling backward on an incline.
Source: Mack Trucks
