Mack Trucks President Martin Weissburg stands in front of a Mack Anthem model Monday at the company’s customer center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
When customers talk about popular brands, there is a lot of variation about what makes a brand special. Coca-Cola, Apple, IBM. They all fit the list, but some might also consider Subway, Target, or Zippo to be icons. On some, we can all agree.
For those in the trucking industry, Mack Trucks – with its 111-year heritage – is certainly an iconic brand. For Mack Trucks’ new president, Martin Weissburg, this has been reinforced over the past four years when he has been leading Volvo Construction Equipment in Europe.
“As an American living abroad and running a global company… I realized how well-known the Mack brand was, and how powerful it was for dealers and customers,” he told FreightWaves. “Going back, you see the relationship people have with the brand. When someone (in Europe) says they want truck merchandise, what they want is Mack merchandise.”
Weissburg, who has officially held his position since June 1, held a roundtable discussion with reporters Monday at Mack’s Customer Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to reflect on his return trip to America and touch on the market and Mack’s place in it.
“For me, it’s a dream job in a profession that relies on truck and trailer equipment,” he said. “For me, Mac is like the cherry on top.”
Weisburg replaces Denny Slagle, MAC’s long-serving and popular president, who retired earlier this year. Having run Volvo Construction Equipment for the past four years, Mack’s position represented an opportunity to return to the United States for Weisborg, who is from Maryland and now works at Mack’s headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Weisborg has served as president of Volvo Construction Equipment since 2014, but originally joined Volvo Group, Mack Trucks’ parent organization, in 2005 as president of Volvo Financial Services Americas. In 2010, he was appointed President of Volvo Financial Services. Weissburg is a member of the Volvo Group’s Executive Board.
In addition to the introduction to the media, Weissburg touched on several topics in a nearly hour-long meeting with reporters from national trade publications and local Lehigh Valley media. He noted that demand has remained strong for Mack’s Anthem model, and from that year to date, demand for the Anthem has doubled the total number of Mack model deliveries on the highway in 2017. In addition, the company’s low-cab models and accessories, he said, are the Granite truck. The straight, which remains the best-selling straight truck in North America, continues to perform well.
“This was a hot lineup,” Weisborg noted. “We are very proud of that, we have invested heavily and we will continue to invest.”
Although no details were disclosed, Weissburg said investment in Lehigh Valley operations will continue. The Lehigh Valley is home to Mack’s only truck manufacturing plant in North America. The facility employs 2,400 employees, and Mack has invested more than $80 million in the area, including a manufacturing facility as well as a customer center, in recent years.
“I had a meeting where we discussed not whether we would spend more, but where we would spend more (on facilities),” he said.
Image: Inside Mac Anthem
“The Lehigh Valley has been very good for Mack,” Weisborg said, later noting that finding quality employees to support growth and meet demand for trucks was easier than expected. “I’ve been impressed by how well we’ve attracted and retained employees at all of our facilities….And part of that is that it’s a great place to work.
Pointing to the hot market, Weisborg said Mack sees demand continuing to be strong next year. The company’s market share is growing thanks in large part to Anthem, as well as its professional vehicles. “We have a strong history with products that we’re well known for,” Weisborg said, adding that Mack is happy to launch Anthem at the right time for the boom in truck orders. “We can’t make them fast enough.
He added: “We are building a large portion (on the highway), but from a lower location than we wanted.” “But it provides an opportunity.”
Mack hasn’t been known for its off-road trucks, but the Anthem is helping to change that. With small fleets and owner operators becoming Mack’s primary customers, Jonathan Randall, senior vice president of North American sales, said the OEM is starting to see more interest in Mack from mid-sized fleets (500 trucks) and even some larger fleets interested in Anthem as a ” Bonus Truck” for high-performance drivers.
Weisborg has commented on the supply chain challenges faced by Mack and others, but said being part of the Volvo Group helps mitigate some of that.
“We have our share of challenges in the extended supply chain; The entire industry is dealing with this, and Mack Trucks is no different. “(But) one of the advantages we have of being part of a strong global group is that we have a strong global supply chain.”
There is concern about tariffs raising prices, but Weissburg noted that tariffs are just one concern facing everyone in the industry in terms of pricing.
“With the tariffs, it has created an environment for component suppliers, tariffs or not, to raise (prices),” he said, adding that logistics costs and even worker shortages throughout the supply chain are driving up costs across the board. However, Weisborg stressed that Mack is “in a working relationship” with its customers and continues to work toward providing high-quality service at all touchpoints.
“It’s a multi-legged stool,” he said. “We have the products, we have the dealers, we have the financing, and we have the uptime.”
