Rokbak: What a difference a year makes

Celebrations get under way in Motherwell as Rokbak celebrate the brand’s first anniversary

ONE year ago today, a bold new name was revealed to the construction world. Building on eight decades of hauler heritage, and seven previous years of major improvements, the Rokbak brand was immediately a hit worldwide.

Celebrations are under way in Motherwell, Scotland, to mark an extraordinary first year of operation for Rokbak. In the 12 months since managing director Paul Douglas announced the surprise rebranding of Terex Trucks at an online launch event, the company has enjoyed multiple successes, confirming that the decision to replace an established industry name with a new, unique one, was the right thing to do.

‘We all had huge faith in the new brand and felt that its message of rugged reliability and strength, coupled with its strong hauling heritage and future-focused vision, was a winning combination,’ said Mr Douglas. ‘We fully understood the pressing reasons to rebrand – most notably, to better highlight the huge improvements to our haulers that had been made since the Volvo Group acquisition in 2014. And, gratifyingly, our customers and dealers recognized that too, and they’ve wholeheartedly embraced our new brand.’

With a substantial order from Rokbak’s UK dealer Molson Group during the launch event on 1 September 2021 (which was viewed by 600 people in 22 countries), this affirmation was virtually instantaneous, with some prospect dealers who were uninterested in stocking the Terex Trucks range being very quick to get in touch and become Rokbak dealers.

The public were not shy in making their feelings known either, with thousands of new followers added to Rokbak’s social media channels. Rokbak’s appearances at UK trade shows attracted enthusiastic reviews from those getting their first real-life glimpses of the revitalized haulers. People were keen to get hold of the new machines, as well as the supporting merchandise, at the Balmoral Show just three weeks after the launch, as well as at Molson Group’s Open Days, ScotPlant, and Hillhead.

Rokbak’s first Sand-coloured machines were delivered to Easton Sales and Rentals and immediately sold to earthmoving, utility, and clearing company Linco Construction of Houston. The two RA30s were put straight to work, helping with earthworks, underground utility, and clearing work.

By then, orders were flowing in for RA30s and RA40s, with almost all dealers in the US confirming sales within the first couple of months. Over the last year, Rokbak have also seen a big increase in orders from the UK, as well as a high level of interest from France, Indonesia, and Australia.

The company’s US dealer network, in particular, has enjoyed significant growth over the past year. Determined to offer even greater support to their customers in the booming North American market, Rokbak have prioritized expanding their geographical coverage, initially adding ProSource Machinery in April to provide representation across Colorado and Montana. One month later, State Tractor & Equipment were appointed to serve Kansas and Missouri, with TraxPlus joining the team in July to cover Louisiana and Mississippi.

The rebranding team’s hard work was officially recognized – several times – by those outside the construction equipment industry throughout the year. First came the CeeD Industry Awards in February, then the company took home five Marketing Society Star Awards, and last but definitely not least, Rokbak received their second consecutive RoSPA Gold Award, which followed on from four consecutive RoSPA Silver Awards, in recognition of the company’s exemplary role in ensuring the health and safety of its employees.

Those employees will shortly be bringing their relatives along to the Motherwell factory for a family fun day as the 1st anniversary celebrations continue. Customers and fans can join in with the fun virtually, with behind-the-scenes stories from the team and videos going live on Rokbak’s website and social media channels.

‘The past year has been an incredible adventure for everyone at Rokbak and I want to thank everyone in our team for their hard work,’ concluded Mr Douglas. ‘The new name and colour really reinforce the point that our haulers operate on a completely different level now, and our customers have had nothing but praise for them.

‘That means our dealers have never been happier, and that in turn has led to a buoyant mood at our factory, with more than 150 new colleagues now in place to support the increased demand. I don't think the expression ‘a change will do you good’ has ever been more appropriate.’