21.11.2023

Phil Graysmark joins MEC

MEC Aerial Work Platforms has appointed Phil Graysmark as director of European operations.

The confirmation came from Graysmark himself late last week. He is charged with expanding the Californian manufacturer’s European business which in recent years has been negligible, partly due to the challenges of keeping pace with its success in the North American market, and partly due to the loss of key distributors some years ago.

Graysmark joins the company after 18 months with LiuGong Machinery where he was business development director. He left the business in July, shortly after the Apex exhibition in Maastricht.

He began his access career with Terex Financial Services in 2006, moving to Genie in 2008 as divisional sales manager for the UK, Ireland, and the Benelux area, taking over from John Fuller. At the end of 2009 he was promoted to vice president of sales for Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Russia a job he held until he left the business towards the end of 2015 when Terex was moving all of its senior executives to Switzerland.

After almost 10 years with Terex and Genie his next move to JCB as sales director for the new JCB Access business was challenging. JCB, particularly at that time, was a struggle for those who came in to the business at a more senior level, but he worked at it for three and a half years, before leaving for LGMG where he was appointed European sales director. The company got off to a strong start, particularly in the UK where it appointed APS, and has continued to do well, but he left the business after two years to join LiuGong.

MEC is now half owned by Chinese manufacturer Dingli, with plans for a full takeover in the near future. MEC has grown at a fantastic pace since Dingli took a 25 percent stake in 2017 and is currently investing in the expansion of its facilities, which will provide the capacity to expand overseas. A return to the European market has been on the cards since the spring.