ADT marketing and manufacturing

While it is not debatable that articulated dump trucks are a hot commodity, it is debatable how many are technologically unique.

During the last quarter of 2001 and well into 2002 there were announcements from several OEMs that they were preparing to-or had already-develop new products for the articulated dump truck (ADT) market. Despite unprecedented events precipitating a general cooling down of global equipment sales, the announcements were not surprising considering the potential global market for these machines, especially from the U.S. and Latin America. The U.S. alone accounts for about 42% of the total ADTs sold worldwide, which at its peak in 1998 was just over 4745.

Compared with the traditional tried-and-tested rigid trucks and scrapers, ADTs represent a relatively new addition to the U.S. mobile-equipment industry. While a few Companies entered and then abandoned the market, persistence paid off for others who developed the vehicle into what we see today: a highly versatile and well-received machine, especially by the construction market. The sheer number of active new players in this market has caught the attention of industry observers, many of who wonder if there is enough room for any more new machines in the ADT market. Some suggest that there isn't and openly question the marketing strategy of some of the companies involved. Part of the concern is that a large number of the newly introduced machines are in fact derived from one or two existing models, a situation that potentially could, and, according to one OEM, has, lead to some confusion among potential buyers.