Mack Trucks, Inc. History

Mack Trucks, Inc. is an American truck manufacturing company and a former manufacturer of buses and trolley buses. Founded in 1900 as the Mack Brothers Company, it manufactured its first truck in 1905 and adopted its present name in 1922.^[1] Since 2000, Mack Trucks has been a subsidiary of Volvo, which purchased Mack and its former parent company Renault Véhicules Industriels.^[2]

Founded originally in Brooklyn, in 1900, the company moved its headquarters to Allentown, Pennsylvania five years later, in 1905. The company remained in Allentown for over a century, from 1905 until 2009. In 2009, the company relocated its headquarters to Greensboro, North Carolina.^[3]

Mack products are produced in Lower Macungie, Pennsylvania^[4] and Salem, Virginia.^[5] Its powertrain products are produced in its Hagerstown, Maryland plant. Mack also maintains additional assembly plants in facilities in Pennsylvania, Australia, and Venezuela. The company also once maintained plants in Winnsboro, South Carolina, Hayward, California and Oakville, Ontario, which are now closed.

Operations

The company's manufacturing facilities are located at their Lehigh Valley Operations facility and division, formally known as the Macungie Assembly Operations Plant, in Macungie, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. Mack Trucks is the fourth-largest employer in the Lehigh Valley region as of 2024.^[6]

Mack Trucks is one of the top producers in the vocational and on-road vehicle market, class 8 through class 13.^{[citation needed]} Mack trucks have been sold in 45 countries. Located near its former Allentown corporate headquarters in Macungie, Pennsylvania, the company's manufacturing plant produces all Mack products, including Mack MP-series engines^{[citation needed]}.

Mack transmissions, TC-15 transfer cases, and rear engine power take-offs are designed and manufactured in Hagerstown, Maryland, which was the original factory location.^{[citation needed]}

Parts for Mack's right-hand-drive vehicles are produced in Brisbane, Australia for worldwide distribution. Assembly for South America is performed in Macungie alongside the North American trucks. Mack no longer operates Mack de Venezuela C.A., in Caracas, Venezuela. The former Venezuela operation is a complete knock down (CKD) facility. Components were shipped from the United States to Caracas for final assembly.

In addition to its Macungie manufacturing facility, Mack also has a remanufacturing center in Middletown, Pennsylvania.

2008 restructuring plan

On August 14, 2008, Mack Trucks announced a major restructuring plan that included:^[7]

• Relocation of Mack's head office, product development, most support functions, and purchasing functions to Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2009. Mack's parent, Volvo Trucks, already has its North American base in Greensboro.
• Assembly of all produced Mack highway vehicles in Macungie, Pennsylvania, starting 2008
• Mack's testing facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania being converted into a "customer demonstration and reception center" in 2010
• Restructuring the parts distribution network by 2010 (later delayed to first quarter 2011)

History

Corporation timeline

This is a timeline of Mack Trucks history.^[8]

• 1890: John M. ("Jack") Mack gets a job at Fallesen & Berry, a carriage and wagon company in Brooklyn
• 1893: John Mack and his brother Augustus F. ("Gus") Mack buy Fallesen & Berry
• 1894: A third Mack brother, William C. Mack joins his brothers in the company's operations. The Macks explore working with steam powered and electric motor cars
• 1900: The Macks open their first bus manufacturing plant. Ordered by a sightseeing company, the first "Mack bus" is delivered
• 1902: The Mack Brothers Company is established in Brooklyn
• 1904: Mack Brothers introduces the brand name "Manhattan" on its products
• 1905: Allentown is selected as the home of main manufacturing operations. A fourth Mack brother, Joseph Mack, becomes a stockholder. Mack also begins making rail cars and locomotives.
• 1910: The "Manhattan" brand trucks are rebranded as Mack trucks, and a fifth Mack brother Charles Mack joins the company.
• 1911: Headed by C.P. Coleman, The Saurer Motor Truck Company acquires rights to manufacture and sell heavy trucks under the Saurer brand name at its plant in Plainfield, New Jersey. On September 23, 1911, the Saurer Motor Truck Company merges with the Mack Brothers Motor Car Company of Allentown headed by J. M. Mack, forming the International Motor Truck Company (IMTC). IMTC continues to make and sell trucks using the Saurer name until 1918. In 1911, IMTC is capitalized at $2.6 million total ($1.6m or 61.5% for Saurer and $1.0m for Mack Brothers).^[9]
• 1912: Brothers John and Joseph Mack leave the company. Mack Truck acquires Hewitt Truck retaining Edward Ringwood Hewitt as consultant.
• 1916: Mack builds an armored truck (Mack AB Armored Truck) for the 1st Armored Motor Truck Battery of the New York State National Guard^[10]
• 1919: The United States Army conducts a transcontinental project using Mack Trucks to study the need for and feasibility of a new interstate highway system.
• 1922: The company name is changed to Mack Trucks, Inc. The bulldog is established as the company's corporate symbol.
• 1924: John Mack dies in a car crash in Weatherly, Pennsylvania.
• 1932: While recuperating from an operation, Mack's chief engineer Alfred Fellows Masury carves Mack's first bulldog hood ornament. Masury applies for and receives a U.S. patent for his design; the bulldog hood ornament adorns Mack trucks ever since.
• 1933: Mack Trucks (as the company is more widely becoming known) are used in building of many ambitious construction projects for the Work Projects Administration including the Hoover Dam.
• 1941: Fire Apparatus manufacturing is moved from Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Long Island City, in Queens, New York.
• 1951: Fire Apparatus manufacturing is moved from Long Island City back to Allentown
• 1956: Mack Trucks, Inc. buys Brockway Motor Company. (Brockway later ceases operations in 1977).
• 1966: Mack begins production at its new assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. The facility is later closed in 1993.
• 1967: Mack Trucks becomes a part of the Signal Oil and Gas Company in a one-for-one exchange for cumulative convertible preferred stock.^[11] Later that year Signal changes its name to Signal Companies.
• 1970: Mack moves into its new Allentown world headquarters.
• 1979: Renault buys a 10% shareholding^[12]
• 1982: Renault increases its shareholding to 20%, Signal reduces its stake to 10%.
• 1983: Mack Trucks conducts an IPO, issuing 15.7 million shares of common stock. Renault increases its holdings to 40% and Signal reduces its stake to 10.3% ownership.
• 1987: Renault reorganizes; Renault's Mack shares are transferred to Renault Véhicules Industriels.
• 1987: Mack Trucks moves class 8 operations to Winnsboro, South Carolina
• 1990: Mack Trucks becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Renault Véhicules Industriels when the remaining publicly traded shares are acquired at $6.25 per share.
• 2001: Mack together with Renault Véhicules Industriels becomes part of Volvo Trucks, and the parent company Renault receives a 20% stake in the combined company. (In 2002 Renault Véhicules Industriels changes its name to Renault Trucks).
• 2002: The plant in Winnsboro, South Carolina closes
• 2006: Mack has a record-sales year.
• 2008: Mack announces relocation of corporate headquarters to Greensboro, North Carolina.^[7]
• 2018: Mack has released the new Mack Anthem.
• 2021: US President Joe Biden visited the Mack Trucks plant in Pennsylvania in July 2021, where he was shown Mack's fully electric Class 8 truck, the Mack LR Electric. Mack had recently completed an upgrade of the facility with $84 million in funding.^[13]
• 2021: In July Mack Trucks said it would hire 400 more employees at its facility in Lower Macungie, adding to a 2,500 overall workforce.^[14]
• 2021: In August 2021 it was reported that Mack had to suspend "production periodically" in July 2021 due to chip shortages.^[15]

Market, model and products timeline

This is a timeline of Mack Trucks history. Most of the information is taken from the Mack History page at MackTrucks.com, unless otherwise noted.^[8] Photos of most models 1906–1978 available at.^[16]

• 1909: A junior model 1+1⁄2-ton truck is introduced.
• 1910: Mack delivers the first motorized hook and ladder firetruck used by the city of Morristown, New Jersey.
• 1914: The Mack ABs are introduced
• 1916: The Mack ACs are introduced. Ultimately, over 40,000 of these models are sold.
• World War I: Mack delivers over 6,000 trucks, both to the United States and Britain's military. A legend surfaces that British soldiers would call for Mack Bulldogs to be sent when facing adversity.
• 1918: Mack becomes the first manufacturer to apply air cleaners and oil filters to their trucks.
• 1920: Mack Trucks are the first with power brakes on their trucks.
• 1922: Mack introduces first truck with drive shaft instead of chain 1922 Model AB
• 1922: International Motors Company develops gasoline-driven passenger railcar for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. A standard passenger railcar on top of a standard motor truck chassis, seating between 36 and 50 passengers, at a cost of $16,500. The car operates in a ten-mile (16 km) stretch between New Haven, and Derby, Connecticut.^[17]
• 1927: Mack's BJ and BB models built.
• 1932: The Bulldog starts to travel on the hoods of Mack trucks.
• 1934: Production of electric "trolley coaches" began, continuing only until 1943.^[18] A total of 290 trolley buses were built, with Portland, Oregon being by far the biggest customer (with 141 total).^[18]
• 1936: The Mack E series introduced. Mack Jr trucks introduced.
• 1938: Mack trucks is the first company to produce its own heavy-duty diesel engines.
• World War II: Mack trucks were used by the military in various capacities, and the company built many heavy-duty trucks to help the allied forces win the day. From 1941 to 1945, the combined armed forces of the United States, Great Britain, France, and Canada took delivery of 35,096 total vehicles. The combat "N Series" (NB, NJU, NM, NO, NR, etc.) accounted for 26,965 of the total. Commercial type vehicles including: trucks, off-highway, fire-trucks, trailers, and buses, accounted for the rest. A total of 2,053 NO models alone were produced from 1940 to 1945. The 7+1⁄2-ton 6x6 NO was the most important specifically military model, and could be used as a transport or tractor for the 155 mm Long Tom field gun. Mack also built over 2600 power trains for tanks. The Allentown bus plant (5C) built Vultee PBY Catalina flying boats as well as components for the BT-13 Valiant Trainer and B-24 Liberator Bombers. More than 700 NJU (5-to-6 ton 4x4) models were in the hands of the U.S. Army by 1942. In 1939 & 1940 the French and British received several hundred NR4 and EXBU models. Mack Trucks ranked 63rd among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts.^[19]
• 1940: L Model series introduced, continuing until 1952.
• 1950: The Mack A Model series of trucks is introduced, produced until 1953.
• 1953: The Mack B Model series of trucks is introduced. 127,786 produced until 1966.
• 1955: The D Model low cab forward city delivery truck entered the market. Access to the engine compartment was possible by the Verti-lift cab. The cab lifted straight up hydraulically, guided by a forklift style mast behind the cab. Two styles of D Models were produced, the first styling had a square grille and no dress up trim. It was produced in 1955 and early 1956. The second styling included a styled grille, cab rear corner windows and stylish emblems and trim. The second styling was built from mid 1956 until the end of the D Model in 1958. A total of 832 D Model Mack Trucks were produced from 1955 until 1958.
• 1955: The military M123 10 ton 6X6 semi tractor went into production. Developed from the NO, it would be the US Army's standard until replaced by the M911 starting in 1976.^[20]
• 1956: Mack buys the tooling of the Ahrens-Fox Fire Engine Co. and introduced the Mack C Model cab forward fire engine which was an Ahrens-Fox design and the first of the "Cincinnati Cabs" ( later built by the Truck Cab Manufacturing Co. an OEM vendor builder of Cincinnati, Ohio), that have been the staple of the American fire service to this day.
• 1959: The first aluminum rivetted construction COE (cab-over-engine) family of trucks is introduced: The G Model which had a short production due to a striking resemblance to the Kenworth COE and Mack having the F Model ready for production.^{[citation needed]} A total of 2181 G Model
• 1960: City of Hamilton, Bermuda buys first Mack built diesel-power fire truck in a B Model Chassis.
• 1962: The Second of the COE (cab-over-engine) family of trucks is introduced: The F Model all steel sleeper (FL) or non sleeper (F) is the first of this family of models for Mack.
• 1965: Mack releases the Super Pumper System, to be used by the New York City fire department.^[21] It would help put out 2,200 fires.
• 1965: The R Model Series introduced, to replace the B Model Series. Some R series models continue in production until 2005.
• 1966: The RL (for R-Western) model built at Hayward, California until 1981.
• 1967: The CF model Fire Engine introduced, replacing the C model. The CF was a cab forward adaptation of the cab over style commercial "F" Model cab.^[22]
• 1969: Mack patents the cab air suspension.

• 

  1975: Macungie plant opens, build the Cruise-Liner series until 1983.
• 1977: Super-Liner introduced, production runs for 15-years until 1993.
• 1978: Introduction of the low-cab-forward urban MC/MR series.
• 1979: Medium-duty model Mid-Liner introduced, built by Renault Véhicules Industriels in France. This lighter truck filled a gap at the lower end of Mack's spectrum, as they were almost unrepresented in the Class 6 segment. Before the introduction of the Mid-Liner, the smallest engine made by Mack had been the 210 hp diesel inline-six ETZ 477.^[23]
• 1982: Production of the MH Ultra-Liner model begins.
• 1988: Mack introduces the CH series for highway applications.
• 1989: E7 engine replaces E6 engine
• 1990: Fire Apparatus production ends.
• 1994: Mack introduces the LE (low entry) refuse vehicle.
• 1998: Electronic Unit Pump (EUP) replaces electronic fuel injection pump
• 1999: A new premium highway tractor is introduced: the "Vision by Mack".
• 2000: Mack builds 100 limited edition Visions with black paint and custom gold stripes and stainless badges for the 100th anniversary
• 2001: Medium-duty Freedom series introduced (built by Renault Trucks in France like its predecessor, the Mid-Liner series).
• 2001: Mack redesigns R Series dash with new gauges and buttons and door padding.
• 2001: Granite series for construction applications introduced.
• 2003: Mack pulls out of the medium-duty market and discontinues the Freedom series.
• 2006: Introduction of Pinnacle highway vehicle it is which was the replacement for the Vision highway product.
• 2007: A new product line is introduced to include Models LEU and MRU amongst others.
• 2007: Introduction of US07 compliant engines in all of its trucks.^[24]
• 2008: In March, Mack introduces the Titan, a heavy duty model with a 16-liter big-block MP10, the largest ever 6-cylinder engine from Mack, with 515, 565, and 605 horsepower (451 kW) models.^[25][26]
• 2010: In October Mack announced that a version of its Terrapro Cabover would run on natural gas using a Cummins Westport engine.^[27]
• 2017 Mack discontinues Titan with last one rolling off line mid summer.
• 2017 Mack introduces Anthem. New on-highway tractor replacing the Pinnacle Axle back model.