Mack Moving Headquarters, Other Facilities To North Carolina

[Barry]

I don't think the museum and archives will be affected. (Not yet anyway...)

[HK Trucking]

I don't think the museum and archives will be affected. (Not yet anyway...)

That'll be the next thing to go.

The evil aggressors do not understand the concept of nostalgia concerning Mack trucks.

That is because the pieces of sh*t the evil aggressors have produced have never lasted long enough to become classics, and even if they did, they're aesthetically unattractive anyhow.

[Superdog]

Did the V in the top of the grill come before or after Volvo?

Before

[MackTech]

3P is a Hell of a guy, I'm going to miss guys with talent like that! I know ambient air brackets aren't all that important 3P. But you are a stand up guy! I hope that us people in Macungie are able to hang on. I'm trying to fight the fight for our customers, and for anyone that has to work on our trucks. 3P you know I'm not afraid to say something to the guys from Greensboro. I just hate the thought of losing guys who know what Mack Trucks are about. Now that our cab is actually a Volvo cab. Our chassis is a Volvo chassis. The only thing that hasn't changed as dramatically are our cab overs. We still have that chassis and what's left of the cab. Just wonder how much more we'll be gutted.

But for everyone else out there Macungie will build the Macks like we have been building them there for the past 34 odd years. Since the F models were run in the plant. I will do my best kicking and screaming to get customer's wishes into the trucks, but it's looking to be one huge uphill battle!

Good luck 3P most of you guys in Allentown deserve Kudos for everything that you have done for US!!!!!!

Thank you!

[niphilli]

I know this is a bit late and an old post but ,I have to say that the Volvo engine does look to be a decent power plant Mack guy!

I have worked, on , for and around Mack trucks for most of my working life 30 years OR SO ,as well as the volvo stuff fords kw PETES and the rest to some degree!The truck we sell now is a Volvo with a mack cab! DON'T KID US, THE volvo people have KEPT NONE, of the Good mack IDEAS ,NOT ONE! THE dog on the hood and the cab is all thats left.You take the cab off the frame its a volvo frame ,engine and abunch of jobber parts. SORRY its for the most part the truth I was once a proud mack guy now I work on Volvo stuff SO FAR ONLY THING I SEE that I MILDLY like is the engine IMPRESS me with some good old simple MACK stuff ont the rest of the truck ! Mack diffs mack trans mack built tough frames suspention yada yada!

The cab and hood were all thats left in that post!

The volvo cab is next the hood to follow!The dog will stay on the hood with a slash thru the grille

then they will shoot the dog!

Yes the Mack will soon be just another model of Volvo just like Autocar and rest!

3p I hope they keep the mack guys and give some of the volvo dudes the boot but I highly doubt it!

Hello all,

First I would like to preface these statements by saying that I am not a company official, and do not hold a high ranking position. None of the opinions stated here are of an official nature. They are just opinions aimed at bringing some positives to light.

I wrestled with whether or not to reply to this thread, but in the end I have a good deal of pride in the Mack brand as well as the Volvo brand and I wanted to, at the least, point out some of the opportunities that may arise from this decision. So far this thread has focused on all of the negative things that could happen as a result of these decisions, if these decisions are not managed well in the coming months and years. I wanted bring to light some of the incredible opportunities that the Mack and Volvo brands stand to gain with a little bit of management through this transition.

Second I would like to offer my thoughts and prayers to all of the Pennsylvania employees that will be impacted by these restructuring decisions.

A little background on myself: My Father started working at White motors 33 years ago, and has been up-close and personal with the likes of White, Volvo White, Volvo GM, Autocar, and now Mack trucks. My Girlfriends father is a second generation Mack employee (he and his father retired from Mack trucks).

I would like to add a few things to 3Ps comments based on what I have been told. My understanding is that all affected employees at the Mack World Headquarters have been / will be offered positions in Greensboro. I am also under the impression that a separate Mack headquarters will still exist in Greensboro to house positions and departments aimed at maintaining brand uniqueness.

Second I would like to speak “off the cuff”; purely opinions on how I would like to see things play out, and how I think these decisions could eventually strengthen both brands. I think that Volvo AB learned from how things were handled with the Autocar product. I think they will tread very lightly when it comes to streamlining any processes that deal with brand identity. IE, undoing a costly investment to combine the assembly lines at the New River Valley Plant.

I think it makes perfect sense to combine efforts and gain synergies in areas such as Purchasing, Parts Distribution, Service, and Cab Engineering. Parts for both products should be warehoused, purchased, sold, and maintained by the same group to take advantage of higher volumes and operating synergies. This will lead to better service and cheaper parts. I also believe that a new shared modular cab platform should be engineered; engineered in a smart way to share components while maintaining a completely unique style and function for each brand. Not that hard to do in today’s world. I am not sure why any Mack customer would be upset to have a new cab platform designed with input from Volvo Engineers. The Volvo Cab is probably the most durable and safe architecture on the road, it has a cult aftermarket following. Cabs are purchased after their lives here in the states, and then shipped to under developed countries to be used in a second life filled with torturous environments. A Steel architecture cab that is much stronger than the competitors.

As mentioned above, the Mack product already has, and will continue to, gain powertrain technology from a global parent company that sells over 200,000 class eight trucks world wide each year. Not to mention similar diesel platforms in their Marine sector. These are some of the synergies that I think need to be explored to create a healthy Mack brand as well as a healthy Volvo Brand. Synergies that I am sure were the driving force behind the announcements made last week.

Some of the things that I think should be/will be separated & segregated by brand are: Upper Brand Management, Sales & Marketing, Styling, and Chassis Engineering. It makes perfect sense to have a Vocational Chassis Engineering department filled by Mack engineers that have a reputation for building the most rugged durable chassis platforms on the planet; complemented by a separate Highway Chassis engineering group filled by Volvo Engineers that have a reputation for building the most comfortable highway tractors on the market.

So, a lot of people have posted some very negative things on this message board; understandably so, if their lives are being adversely affected by these decisions that were announced last week. The truth is, from a product standpoint, there is a lot to be gained if people are treated fairly and this transition is managed properly.

Take Care,

VOLVO

-niphilli

Edited August 20, 2008 by niphilli

[David]

Niphilli,

Do you work for Mack or Volvo?

[HK Trucking]

Hello all,

First I would like to preface these statements by saying that I am not a company official, and do not hold a high ranking position. None of the opinions stated here are of an official nature. They are just opinions aimed at bringing some positives to light.

I wrestled with whether or not to reply to this thread, but in the end I have a good deal of pride in the Mack brand as well as the Volvo brand and I wanted to, at the least, point out some of the opportunities that may arise from this decision. So far this thread has focused on all of the negative things that could happen as a result of these decisions, if these decisions are not managed well in the coming months and years. I wanted bring to light some of the incredible opportunities that the Mack and Volvo brands stand to gain with a little bit of management through this transition.

Second I would like to offer my thoughts and prayers to all of the Pennsylvania employees that will be impacted by these restructuring decisions.

A little background on myself: My Father started working at White motors 33 years ago, and has been up-close and personal with the likes of White, Volvo White, Volvo GM, Autocar, and now Mack trucks. My Girlfriends father is a second generation Mack employee (he and his father retired from Mack trucks).

I would like to add a few things to 3Ps comments based on what I have been told. My understanding is that all affected employees at the Mack World Headquarters have been / will be offered positions in Greensboro. I am also under the impression that a separate Mack headquarters will still exist in Greensboro to house positions and departments aimed at maintaining brand uniqueness.

Second I would like to speak “off the cuff”; purely opinions on how I would like to see things play out, and how I think these decisions could eventually strengthen both brands. I think that Volvo AB learned from how things were handled with the Autocar product. I think they will tread very lightly when it comes to streamlining any processes that deal with brand identity. IE, undoing a costly investment to combine the assembly lines at the New River Valley Plant.

I think it makes perfect sense to combine efforts and gain synergies in areas such as Purchasing, Parts Distribution, Service, and Cab Engineering. Parts for both products should be warehoused, purchased, sold, and maintained by the same group to take advantage of higher volumes and operating synergies. This will lead to better service and cheaper parts. I also believe that a new shared modular cab platform should be engineered; engineered in a smart way to share components while maintaining a completely unique style and function for each brand. Not that hard to do in today’s world. I am not sure why any Mack customer would be upset to have a new cab platform designed with input from Volvo Engineers. The Volvo Cab is probably the most durable and safe architecture on the road, it has a cult aftermarket following. Cabs are purchased after their lives here in the states, and then shipped to under developed countries to be used in a second life filled with torturous environments. A Steel architecture cab that is much stronger than the competitors.

As mentioned above, the Mack product already has, and will continue to, gain powertrain technology from a global parent company that sells over 200,000 class eight trucks world wide each year. Not to mention similar diesel platforms in their Marine sector. These are some of the synergies that I think need to be explored to create a healthy Mack brand as well as a healthy Volvo Brand. Synergies that I am sure were the driving force behind the announcements made last week.

Some of the things that I think should be/will be separated & segregated by brand are: Upper Brand Management, Sales & Marketing, Styling, and Chassis Engineering. It makes perfect sense to have a Vocational Chassis Engineering department filled by Mack engineers that have a reputation for building the most rugged durable chassis platforms on the planet; complemented by a separate Highway Chassis engineering group filled by Volvo Engineers that have a reputation for building the most comfortable highway tractors on the market.

So, a lot of people have posted some very negative things on this message board; understandably so, if their lives are being adversely affected by these decisions that were announced last week. The truth is, from a product standpoint, there is a lot to be gained if people are treated fairly and this transition is managed properly.

Take Care,

VOLVO

-niphilli

BS.

The damage is done.

[rw613]

i think it is sick they do this but one thing is for sure volvo will never have any respect and are driving the mack customers to other brands and ther not volvo eigther volvo never did have a truck to start with

[David]

i think it is sick they do this but one thing is for sure volvo will never have any respect and are driving the mack customers to other brands and ther not volvo eigther volvo never did have a truck to start with

There are fleets here in NC that at one time were 100% Mack and now are Pete and KW.

[bulldog man]

Sorry for the sad news 3P Def a sad day fer

i herd from The Owner of TRISTATE Mack (or TRISTATE Truck center now) in Memphis the The Corparate owned Mack facility will be downsized im guessing making parts longer & harder to get here i guess

HOPE the familys of Mack that are or will be affected will find work soon & wish them the best of luck

Another SAD THING YALL Ive got a brother 3 yrs younger than me we raised on & he's a damned parts man for the V&&v* dealer in Memphis im trying get him away from There lol & go to Tristate Mack as the owners are friends of the family & lil bro is 1 hell of a parts man (only good thing bout having brother over there is my p/u is a 94 gmc 2500 & i get parts w/ emploeye discount as where he works is also the main GMC dealer in Memphis )

THANKS ALOT V*l*O

LATER

[DigDug]

I hope like heck will come back around with toughness they are known for. Time will tell. What ever happened to the intial Mack Company to lead up to Volvo buying them?

[AutomaticMack]

niphilli, not to get your dander up, but do you have a cdl? have you ever driven a all Mack truck on the highway or offroad? Well I have and they will wipe the slate clean compared to the competition on or off road. The major problem here is v#^&o has no respect for anything, let alone a great AMERICAN icon. Who here wants to buy a sodomized truck.

The Mack transmission is an amazing creation, and the rear drives are beyond comparison. We are constantly seeing a slow erotion of the product that we all have become to rely our livings on. And now with this move they have hurt the American working man, building,driving,maintaining and selling the truck with the closing down of the plant and moving out . Plus they have alienated any customer that would like to buy anything in the future.

I realize that vulva, is doing this to increase the market share. And to increase dividends for the stock holders etc. etc. etc.

but dammit they are stepping all over the American working man by selling us a half rate product under the guise of a true American icon.

Whats next Mack trucks made in china sold in the U.S.A.? ohhh wait some of the parts are all ready coming in.

[bulldog man]

niphilli, not to get your dander up, but do you have a cdl? have you ever driven a all Mack truck on the highway or offroad? Well I have and they will wipe the slate clean compared to the competition on or off road. The major problem here is v#^&o has no respect for anything, let alone a great AMERICAN icon. Who here wants to buy a sodomized truck.

The Mack transmission is an amazing creation, and the rear drives are beyond comparison. We are constantly seeing a slow erotion of the product that we all have become to rely our livings on. And now with this move they have hurt the American working man, building,driving,maintaining and selling the truck with the closing down of the plant and moving out . Plus they have alienated any customer that would like to buy anything in the future.

I realize that vulva, is doing this to increase the market share. And to increase dividends for the stock holders etc. etc. etc.

but dammit they are stepping all over the American working man by selling us a half rate product under the guise of a true American icon.

Whats next Mack trucks made in china sold in the U.S.A.? ohhh wait some of the parts are all ready coming in.

On the subject of Mack i couldnt had said it any better V^^V& HAS NO RESPECT FOR ANYTHING MADE WELL Esp for American compaines Who's next to be bought out by the sweds Paccar ? (im not big on them but using for an example) or Navistar (who i understand is in truck venture w/ CAT )?

I Hope can rise from the ashes like a phoniex like Autocar did but ONLY Better When it comes time

OH & Bro. Herb I AGREE W/also PURE B.S.

later

[RowdyRebel]

There are fleets here in NC that at one time were 100% Mack and now are Pete and KW.

The company I'm leased to was 100% Mack up until 2003. They started having problems with some of the '03 and ESPECIALLY the '04 trucks, so in '04 they started buying '05 Freightshakers (Mercedes engines) and Petercars (CAT C13). The Freightshakers weren't working out for them either, but the Petercars were acceptable (still not great, but would get the job done). Once they get rid of the few remaining Freightshakers, they will be 100% Petercar. Guys in the shop aren't too thrilled....they liked the ease of which they could keep the Mack's on the road and a few are always asking me if there's anything they can help me with on mine

I'm glad I bought a low-mileage '01 Mack....Mack drivetrain, gold Bulldog on the hood.....built before all of this V*lv* BS. I ought to be able to drive this truck for the rest of my driving career, barring any unforeseen incidents of course. Heck, I just turned 290K on it this week.

[Mack 3P]

International had a big add in this Sundays Morning Call. The postings say they are looking for 100 engineers from Allentown and they will interview in Allentown.

Here's the link on the Navastar site.

International

[mackboy]

International had a big add in this Sundays Morning Call. The postings say they are looking for 100 engineers from Allentown and they will interview in Allentown.

Here's the link on the Navastar site.

International

so you can see there is somewhan not sleeping and react inmmediatly on volvos buy out send the link to there headquaters to shake them awake you see others appriciate the MACK technolegy and now they get the opportunitie to get it cheap gr rene

[Ray]

Mack 3P, sorry for the bad news. I wish you and those affected the best of luck.

Niphilli, you're a "gink". Stop trying to justify Volvo's actions. We're not all that dumb, we know when someone pees down our leg and tries to tell us it's raining. Just another euro trash company destroying the livelihoods of good working people building what once was an icon of this country, now it is a questionable product at times. However, as die-hard Mack people, we will stand proudly by Mack,"The Greatest Name in Trucks". Ever hear that phrase, Niphilli? It means a lot to us and the good folks who work for Mack. Not putting Volvo concepts into Mack trucks, not building Volvo frames

or using Volvo motors for use in Mack Trucks! Keep Mack,ALL MACK, you know the word, Pedigree? What's next, a sleeper with IKEA furniture? Come on.....

Sorry for the rant, not much fishing in Cape May N.J. this weekend.

[fjh]

International had a big add in this Sundays Morning Call. The postings say they are looking for 100 engineers from Allentown and they will interview in Allentown.

Here's the link on the Navastar site.

International

Get on It Pal!The early bird gets the worm!

[Barry]

Denny Slagle letter to Morning Call on restructuring issues to be published Friday (08-21-08)

In response to published reaction in the Lehigh Valley following the announcement of the restructuring of Mack, Denny Slagle has written a letter to the editor of the Morning Call offering a clarification of issues regarding the company’s decision.

It is anticipated that the letter will be published in Friday’s editions.

-----------------------------------------------------

TO THE EDITOR:

There are two points I’d like to clarify for the community after reviewing the reaction to Mack’s restructuring announcement.

First, we are very much aware of the types of support available in Pennsylvania for business retention, and we have no doubt that officials at every level would have been as helpful as possible in this regard. The Lehigh Valley’s local, state and federal government officials have consistently been excellent partners to Mack, and very proactive in offering their support over the years.

However, it’s important to understand that Mack’s headquarters and support functions are not moving to a “greenfield" site developed as an alternative to Allentown. They are moving where almost all of the leadership and about 2,000 employees of these functions are already located.

Given the many organizational, financial and operational factors involved in this decision, it was clear that the support we knew we could count on from Pennsylvania could not have tipped the scales. It therefore would have been inappropriate to seek such support.

Second, given the $20 million investment and 200 new manufacturing jobs we’re bringing to our Macungie plant; the conversion of our Allentown Test Center into a new Customer Reception/Demonstration Center that will house at least 200 people and host customers and dealers from around the world; the fact that when our restructuring is complete we will still employ at least 900 people in the Lehigh Valley; and the fact that we intend to offer every affected employee a relocation opportunity, I believe we have done everything possible to mitigate the negative impacts of this difficult but necessary change on our employees and the community.

While I understand what it means for Allentown to lose Mack’s administrative headquarters, I think it’s important for the community to know that every Mack truck built in North America will soon be manufactured in Macungie, that Mack will remain one of the largest private employers in the Lehigh Valley, and that we will continue to be the good corporate citizen we have been for more than 100 years.

Dennis R. Slagle

President & CEO

Mack Trucks, Inc.

[mackdaddy1911a1]

Get on It Pal!The early bird gets the worm!

not if your a former gravedigger, then it's the early worm that gets the bird.....LONG LIVE

[mackdaddy1911a1]

Denny Slagle letter to Morning Call on restructuring issues to be published Friday (08-21-08)

In response to published reaction in the Lehigh Valley following the announcement of the restructuring of Mack, Denny Slagle has written a letter to the editor of the Morning Call offering a clarification of issues regarding the company’s decision.

It is anticipated that the letter will be published in Friday’s editions.

-----------------------------------------------------

TO THE EDITOR:

There are two points I’d like to clarify for the community after reviewing the reaction to Mack’s restructuring announcement.

First, we are very much aware of the types of support available in Pennsylvania for business retention, and we have no doubt that officials at every level would have been as helpful as possible in this regard. The Lehigh Valley’s local, state and federal government officials have consistently been excellent partners to Mack, and very proactive in offering their support over the years.

However, it’s important to understand that Mack’s headquarters and support functions are not moving to a “greenfield" site developed as an alternative to Allentown. They are moving where almost all of the leadership and about 2,000 employees of these functions are already located.

Given the many organizational, financial and operational factors involved in this decision, it was clear that the support we knew we could count on from Pennsylvania could not have tipped the scales. It therefore would have been inappropriate to seek such support.

Second, given the $20 million investment and 200 new manufacturing jobs we’re bringing to our Macungie plant; the conversion of our Allentown Test Center into a new Customer Reception/Demonstration Center that will house at least 200 people and host customers and dealers from around the world; the fact that when our restructuring is complete we will still employ at least 900 people in the Lehigh Valley; and the fact that we intend to offer every affected employee a relocation opportunity, I believe we have done everything possible to mitigate the negative impacts of this difficult but necessary change on our employees and the community.

While I understand what it means for Allentown to lose Mack’s administrative headquarters, I think it’s important for the community to know that every Mack truck built in North America will soon be manufactured in Macungie, that Mack will remain one of the largest private employers in the Lehigh Valley, and that we will continue to be the good corporate citizen we have been for more than 100 years.

Dennis R. Slagle

President & CEO

Mack Trucks, Inc.

Thanks Barry, I still think that Allentown will suffer with so many jobs leaving the community. Long Live the GREATEST NAME IN TRUCKS

[Mack 3P]

More articles from the last few weeks.

Bill White's First Shot- Get rid of 'Mack Boulevard'

Street name honors Mack workers

Mack will continue to be a good citizen

We have met the enemy and he is ...

BMT is referenced in the comments section of this article.

[HK Trucking]

More articles from the last few weeks.

Bill White's First Shot- Get rid of 'Mack Boulevard'

Street name honors Mack workers

Mack will continue to be a good citizen

We have met the enemy and he is ...

BMT is referenced in the comments section of this article.

I just read all the comments and this was in there:

Leif Johansson

Lincolnshire, IL Reply »

|Report Abuse |#28 4 hrs ago

When we bought Mack it was our intent to kill off the brand. How can Volvo compete with mack when they had so much of a strong hold in the volcational market. Volvo does not care that Mack has a long reputable history. We are only out to better the volvo brand, period. If we had let mack continue to be driven as a customer frinedly brand it would have made us look really bad. There is a reason that so many R and B model Macks last 40 years. How can we compete with that?

leif johansson

ex Volvo C.E.O

The smoking gun????

[rw613]

I just read all the comments and this was in there:

The smoking gun????

I WOUNDER WHAT WE THINK OF THEM NOW

[james j neiweem]

Nice catch HK. I'll bet that was their original intent , but now it appears that they are going to take a different approach. Perhaps a long gradual death. I don,t know. If sales stay strong they may have change their evil minds.