11.10.2007

MEC planning Boom line

Selma based scissor lift producer MEC has told Lift and Access that it is well along with plans to develop a full line of boom lifts.

The company has employed Steve Citron who spent 20 years with Genie, as business development director in order to help with the programme.
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CAD drawing of the proposed 40ft MEC M40T

First off the block will be a 40ft straight boom with a 45ft jibbed version, the company is planning to have these ready for unveiling at Conexpo 2008 in March. It then plans to add further models over the following two years.

The original 3D cad drawings show a machine that looks extremely similar to the Genie S40

Jim Tolle of MEC is quoted as saying that the company has raised significant capital to fund its aggressive expansion into the boom lift market with the aim to be a full line producer.

Vertikal Comment

The boom lift market looks like going from being a two or three horse race, where most buyers felt there was insufficient choice, to one with highly competitive race.

However MEC will find it extraordinarily difficult to enter this market, Skyjack is already at least two years ahead of it in the race to introduce a new boom lift product line.

UpRight and Snorkel, now together, are ahead of that with a relatively full line of well proven boom lifts and plenty of cash to invest in updating designs and adding more production capacity.

The MEC name has no association with boom lifts and buyers are far less willing to invest in an unproven boom line than they are in small scissor lifts.

Add to this fact that by the time full production would be underway at MEC, Skyjack will be well into its 60ft models and Snorkel will have added further capacity, all at a time when the aerial lift market is likely to be passing through a period of slower growth.

The challenge for MEC will be to introduce something different into a mature market and then to find buyers with a reason to move away from Genie, JLG, Snorkel or Haulotte, not to mention the nerve to try an unproven product that has a 10 year plus lifespan.

Perhaps this move will prompt one of the major manufacturers, such as Haulotte, to make a bid for MEC in order to take it out of the market?