Mecalac Ramps Up Presence in United States

Thu September 28, 2017
Agricultural Equipment Guide

When France-based construction equipment manufacturer Mecalac made its first impression in the United States market in mid-2016, it was through Lorusso Heavy Equipment, based in Walpole, Mass.

This allowed Mecalac to introduce its unique equipment line to the New England construction market with the assistance of Lorusso, which also was responsible for helping set up a nationwide distribution network for the manufacturer.

A lot has happened since then.

In December 2016, Mecalac acquired the Terex Group's production plant for side dumpers, backhoe loaders and compactors in Coventry, Great Britain. Then, while initially launching in the New England market with its MCR Series (what Mecalac dubs a “crawler skid excavator”), the company recently unveiled its new MWR Series at ConExpo 2017, an interesting and highly productive combination of a wheel and crawler excavator.

Mecalac's distribution network has grown, too, outside of the six-state New England region, with dealers now located in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.

Who (and What) Is Mecalac?

“Anticipating technological developments and changes to working practices is part of our DNA,” said Henri Marchetta, chairman, who founded the Mecalac Group in 1974. “Talking to our customers, drivers, site managers, fleet managers and mechanics helps us to understand people's needs today and their expectations for the future. That's how we develop our technologies and produce our innovations.”

The MCR Series

It started in the United States with the MCR Series, which combines the features of a skid steer loader, a compact excavator and a telehandler and integrates them with a unique, versatile boom.

The Mecalac all-terrain skid excavator can mount a skid steer bucket, perform all of the functions of a skid steer/track loader and lift and load materials to a pile or truck as high as 16 ft. (5 m), due to Mecalac's versatile boom with integrated high reach offset. The boom folds to 131 degrees, offering maximum stability and lifting performance.

The MCR can fully rotate while carrying a load up to 40 percent of its own weight. It also adapts well to unstable surfaces, can work on platforms in loader mode and gives the operator a 360-degree view of the surroundings.

Mecalac's Connect quick-coupling system allows the operator to switch out to attachment for digging, ditching, skid buckets, forks, handling plates and more, in seconds. Auxiliary hydraulics permit the use of standard hydraulic attachments, including hammers, augers, cutters and more.

All models have an over terrain speed in excess of 6 mph (9.7 km). The process of changing from excavator mode to skid steer mode is as simple as turning a switch inside the cab.

Mecalac offers three models of its skid excavator:

The MWR Series

The company's innovative approach to construction design continued in 2017 when it launched the new MWR Series, a compact wheeled excavator, in May 2017.

“For Mecalac, there are no small or large, new or old markets,” said Marchetta. “For us, there are simply individual customers. With expectations that we are looking to fulfill. We weigh up our international development choices not in terms of an immediate profitability ratio but in light of the long-term view that has always driven our business, whose primary focus has always been people. We're not 'setting out to conquer America' but continuing to be what we've always been: entrepreneurs who listen, people who look for simplicity and relevance and above all, people who are loyal to our vision and values.”

The MWR Series consists of versatile and ultra-stable machines with XS dimensions and XL lifting force, benefiting from the latest internal and external technology patented by Mecalac (boom with integrated offset, cylinder coupling, CONNECT quick coupler, central control selector, and speed control function).


The MWR boasts an offset articulated arm (which fits into the machine's profile perfectly) and forms a positive mass and a natural counterweight, thus optimizing its lifting power and ensuring greater freedom to handle and turn with heavy loads.

The new MWRs transform worksite logistics due to its incredible stability in any position and on any terrain. Whatever the conditions, the machines stay balanced both when travelling in transfer operations between sites, as well as during work phases. This provides the machine with 360-degree lifting performance.

The cab is 20 percent lower when compared with other similar products on the market and entering and exiting the vehicle requires much less effort; it is further eased by the addition of a step that has been perfectly incorporated into the machine's design.

The MWR's fuel tank is extremely easy to access because it is located in the undercarriage, level with the step that leads straight to the cab.

Without needing to move, the machine is always ideally positioned with high precision in cramped or sensitive construction sites. Even when behind an obstacle, such as a nearby wall running parallel to the vehicle, it can still dig downwards and lift loads up to half its weight to a height of approximately 10 ft. with an exceptional economy of movement. The unique kinematics provides its articulated arm with a range of up to nearly 30 ft. in a single operation.

The MWR Series features 7MWR, 9MWR and 11MWR models, and a 15MWR model with an option for a Mecalac boom or a traditional excavator boom.

An Important Acquisition

“Right from the start of the business, it's always been important to us to listen to our customers both nationally and internationally, and to listen to their needs, which are not only economic but structural and cultural, too,” said Marchetta of the Terex Coventry plant purchase.

“Our machines have evolved in line with their expectations, and the expansion and complexity of urban construction sites. Our core business is now in compact, versatile, easy-to-handle, ergonomic machines, like the new MWR range. Machines that can dig, load and transport.”

Marchetta added that Mecalac responded to that demand for transport by bringing dumpers into the range.

“The historic markets that have driven our growth and the history of the brand continue to underpin Mecalac's activities and are a source of inspiration for our research and development,” he said.

“But not all markets have the same expectations in terms of construction machinery and some are looking for different machines, which reflect a different view of urban construction sites. That's where our new production plant, Mecalac Construction Equipment UK, will complement our overall offer.”

The acquisition of Terex Coventry came at a time when Mecalac was looking to extend and diversify its offer to respond to the demands of other types of markets than those in Northern and Southern Europe.

Henri Marchetta's son, Alexandre Marchetta, who is vice chairman, added, “Our new global offer means we can now provide relevant solutions of the right size to meet expectations in the Ma- ghreb, Eastern Europe — including Russia, which is starting to approach us again — central Africa, the Middle East and new territories for us: Australia, North and South America. Mecalac Construction Equipment UK is therefore opening the doors to new markets for us, where there is a high demand for dumpers, backhoe loaders and compactors.”

People are central to Mecalac's success and that isn't going to change (and has not changed) as the result of acquiring a new business.

“Our network of current dealers is firmly attached to the Mecalac brand and we have known them for a long time,” said Henri Marchetta. “They are loyal to us and we have developed a stable relationship with them, which we maintain on a daily basis. The new dealers from the distribution network for products made at our Coventry plant will now form part of that organization, based on the same values of stability, loyalty and professionalism. Because for the Mecalac group, collaboration without mutual trust is unthinkable. It's one of our core characteristics and we see it as a strength: a value we share with our distributors.”

Alexandre Marchetta echoed his father's view of trust.

“One of the things that attracted us in acquiring Terex Coventry was also the existence of a team, a network of distributors as much as customers and prospects, whom we can rely on,” he said. “It comes back to helping them share our values, corporate vision and brand messages, and supporting them in this new, shared adventure so that they become Mecalac ambassadors. Moreover, the professionalism of our historical dealers leaves us in no doubt about their ability to welcome new partners and an extended product range. Every sale has always been and will remain a personal interaction, and our dealers are and will be trained in our products and our customers' business sectors. Now made up of 200 dealers, our network is a highly dedicated group of skilled people and a real source of strength for the future of Mecalac.”

For more information, visit http://www.mecalac.com/en/.

(Construction Equipment Guide's Craig Mongeau and Kent Hogeboom contributed to this article.)

This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.