Prioritising customer and dealer needs are key for Rokbak
06.12.2023With 25 years’ experience in the industry under his belt, Rokbak Regional Sales Manager EMEA Kenny Price discusses increasing Rokbak hauler sales by 25 % and how experience from the factory floor to working with a variety of OEM products at a dealership gives him a unique insight into customer needs.
Kenny Price works with and alongside Rokbak EMEA customers and dealers, day in, day out
© Rokbak
In the last 12 months, unit sales for Rokbak have increased by 25 % and unique customer numbers by 45 % in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The Scottish articulated hauler manufacturer has recorded a 40 % returning and 60 % new business customer base in 2023. It’s altogether indicative of strong customer satisfaction in product investment, aftersales support and the development of key partnerships.
“When customers buy machines, they buy them to perform and do a job – sometimes up to 24 hours a day, and so they need to be reliable,” states Kenny Price, Rokbak Regional Sales Manager EMEA. “Rokbak trucks are popular with customers because they are hardworking, robust and durable.
“Our increased unit sales in 2023 are welcome confirmation of confidence in the product, that it’s working well for the customer, and that customers enjoy working with Rokbak and our dealer partners. New customers coming into the Rokbak fold are starting to see the benefits they can get from investing in our products, in particular regarding the trucks’ performance and fuel efficiency. We’re always looking to strengthen existing relationships and start working with new customers.”
Customers and dealers have opportunities to visit the Rokbak factory in Motherwell
© Rokbak
Inside knowledge
Kenny worked his way up starting on the factory floor as an apprentice maintenance engineer at Rokbak’s Motherwell factory in 1999, just three miles away from his hometown, learning valuable skills and working with the truck product. He progressed as an engineer before moving into product training and becoming a product manager.
Following this, he spent several years working with the distribution of construction equipment as a Regional Sales Manager, Head of Sales and General Manager, where he worked with several OEM products and gained first-hand experience within the dealer network. In 2020 he returned to Motherwell with a new perspective and a greater awareness of what customers prioritise.
Kenny Price advocates that maintaining strong relationships is integral to Rokbak and sustained success
© Rokbak
“Being front and centre with the customer at a dealership, you understand what’s required for an OEM to be successful, particularly with the aftersales and the upfront sales support,” Kenny reflects. “You come to have an appreciation of how the dealerships are working and the importance of the relationship between them, the customer and the manufacturer. The customer really values support, the OEM being fair and trustworthy, and doing exactly what we say we’re going to do. It definitely helps that, at Rokbak, we’ve got a passionate team with a wealth of experience and decades of hauling heritage. We strive for the best for our customers and dealers. We’re a close group – there aren’t thousands of us – and we only manufacture haulers, so we are extremely focused on being the experts in our field. We stay down-to-earth and form close bonds with customers and dealers – it’s a partnership – and I know this is appreciated by everyone we work with.”
Key markets
Region EMEA is a strong market for articulated dump trucks, with several important territories including the UK, France and Germany. In 2022, the UK ADT market was second only to the USA – and it is on track to compete for that position again by the end of 2023. For the UK market, 2022 was a boom year and Q1 2023 was the biggest opening quarter for market volume in recent memory.
In the last 12 months, unit sales for Rokbak have increased by 25 % and unique customer numbers by 45 % in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA)
© Rokbak
“The UK market is incredibly important to Rokbak and the trucks we manufacture,” explains Kenny. “This is particularly true when large-scale projects come up, which are ideal for our RA30 and RA40 articulated haulers.”
Rokbak trucks can be found in mining, quarries, and in big construction and infrastructure projects. They are used to transport different types of materials all over the world, in a variety of conditions and terrain. Many are working in muckshift and landfill with specialised bodies to maximise capacity. Regardless of where they are or what they’re doing, the same Rokbak backing is there. “Investing time in the dealer means investing time in the customer,” concludes Kenny. “The aftersales support is so important to them, and so it’s important to us. Customer visits, technical product training and information are the framework of our system. The product needs to do its role but when it comes to things like servicing and maintenance, it’s about being there and acting responsibly and quickly to any customer requirements.”
Kevin Clark's career with articulated haulers began when he was just 18 years old
© Rokbak
US market continues to strengthen for Rokbak
Rokbak Regional Sales Manager Kevin Clark has been working with trucks for over four decades. With a large region to cover in the USA, he discusses increasing Rokbak hauler market share, as well as the positive response to the trucks since the Volvo Group acquisition and the rebrand in 2021.
Rokbak is continuing to see huge demand for its RA30 and RA40 articulated haulers in North America, much to the delight of Kevin Clark, Regional Sales Manager. In his territory – the north-east of the United States which stretches from the Canadian border down to the state of South Carolina, encompassing Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the Carolinas – Rokbak's market share has improved by 55 % in the last three years.
Rokbak trucks are simple to operate and maintain
© Rokbak
“One of the big things that sets us aside from other articulated hauler manufacturers, is that our trucks are simple to operate and maintain,” says Kevin. “They are hardworking and good value for money. We don’t go for all the excessive, fancy bells and whistles that make it more difficult for an operator to use. “North America is the number one market for the truck line right now, and our customers really like the reliability, the savings they can get on fuel efficiency and the look of the trucks.”
The majority of the articulated dump trucks that leave the Rokbak Motherwell factory in Scotland currently head across the Atlantic. The US is leading demand with huge infrastructure spend and a lot of construction activity around house and road building. The total articulated hauler market for North America is usually around 3500 units. However, the market has exceeded 5000 units over a rolling 12 month period, with the total global market exceeding 10 000 units in the same period.
Kevin Clark has cultivated strong relationships throughout a dealer network across the north-east United States
© Rokbak
Hard at work
Mining, quarrying, urban infrastructure, highways and housing developments are the big sectors for Rokbak ADTs. Kevin has also seen the trucks used to move wet concrete for airport runways, snow removal and ruby gem mining.
“In my territory, the areas we see Rokbak trucks working in are usually urban, so our customers appreciate the easy manoeuvrability of the trucks,” explains Kevin. “They can be operating in very confined spaces sometimes, especially up in the northeast corner.”
Mining, quarrying, urban infrastructure, highways and housing developments are the big sectors for Rokbak ADTs
© Rokbak
Extensive experience
With over four decades’ experience with articulated haulers, Kevin’s whole career has been around the truck line, whether it's been in retail, equipment management for an end user, or as a representative on the manufacturing side.
After starting out selling construction equipment at 18, he spent seven years as an equipment manager for Terex Trucks’ largest North American customer, Atlantic Contracting and Material, which had a fleet of 58 Terex Trucks. The company continues to be one of Rokbak’s largest end users of equipment in the US.
Kevin joined what was to become Rokbak in April 2018, four years after the Volvo Group bought the off-road truck product line from Terex Corporation. However, it was long before that, when he was on a trip to the articulated hauler factory in Motherwell, that he decided that he wanted to work for the company.
“I just knew as a young retail guy I wanted to get to that position where I was representing the manufacturer, because I felt so strongly about the product and its capabilities,” says Kevin. “I knew this is where I wanted to be, it was the direction I wanted my career to go. And here I am today!”
Customers appreciate the easy manoeuvrability of the trucks
© Rokbak
The right moves with Rokbak
As an equipment manager, Kevin saw first-hand the issues with the older Terex Trucks prior to the Volvo Group’s investment. Moving to the other side of the fence, he then saw all the improvements that addressed issues with the transmission and improved reliability and uptime.
“The trucks have never been better,” concludes Kevin. “Feedback from our dealer partners and customers is incredibly positive. There have been huge improvements in reliability, the trucks are simple to operate and maintain, and they have a spacious and comfortable cab. “Rokbak trucks are hardworking, and they are designed to make it easy for operators to perform the tasks they’ve got to do. Feedback from dealers and customers is always ‘We like this truck because it’s easy to operate’.”
