One year on: The inside story of the Rokbak rebrand

Paul Douglas, Managing Director Rokbak.

Rokbak employees have been celebrtating the brand’s one year anniversary. Here, the company’s Managing Director, Paul Douglas, reveals the full story behind the rebrand for the first time.

Keeping one of the biggest construction equipment stories of 2021 under wraps was not an easy task, so how did he and his team keep the rebranding of Terex Trucks a surprise for so long? The answer lies in good old-fashioned hard work from a dedicated and highly skilled team. “I was amazed that it didn’t filter out, I kept thinking I’d see something on social media,” admits Paul. “As the project progressed it pulled in more employees and more departments – there wasn’t a single function in the business that didn’t have to get involved. “For instance, we had to try the new colour scheme out in the paintshop, we said it was a customer-specific colour – which is something we’ve done for our customers before. Then, before the launch, we had to take the RA30 and RA40 to a quarry to take photos for the marketing materials. It was incredible how everyone in our team, the dealers and our external partners worked together to ensure it remained confidential. It just goes to show what a fantastic team we have, everyone pulled together and did their bit.” The COVID-19 pandemic and the essential lockdowns that came with it were obviously extremely difficult, but ironically the pandemic actually helped to keep the news under wraps. With no events or exhibitions to attend, and no customers or journalists visiting the Motherwell factory, the risk of anyone finding out was greatly diminished. “We didn’t have to drop the Terex Trucks name but we had overrun on the initial agreement,” explains Paul. “For the first few years changing our name wasn’t a high priority, as we focused on stabilising the business and investing in the product, manufacturing and our people. But after we’d made such significant performance improvements to our articulated haulers, it was a natural progression to rebrand – the Terex Trucks name was holding us back. Our customers and dealers also expected and supported a name change to reflect the new machines, so the rebrand was set in motion about four years ago. “The Volvo Group is extremely brand aware. Originally, we investigated whether there would be any mileage in resurrecting one of the Group’s sleeping legacy brands, until the practicalities and legalities outweighed the benefits. This was the first time Volvo had created a new global brand from scratch, so they were heavily invested in its development and success. We got a lot of help and support from the Volvo Group and Volvo Construction Equipment in particular. On top of the significant investment they made in the Rokbak brand, we also benefited from shared resources and support when it came to things like design, branding, marketing and legal work – they really helped us bring the brand to life.” WHAT’S IN A NAME?

With a small focus group put together from marketing, branding, commercial, sales, and dealer development backgrounds, the task of selecting a new name could begin. “Some of our original shortlist names turned out to be similar to those used elsewhere, but the team came up with one that we all loved and was truly unique and impactful,” explains Paul. “We were told by Legal that they had never seen anything as clean as it, and that we should grab it with both hands!” The team then consulted a handful of select dealers across Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania in an attempt to understand how different cultures would perceive the most critical aspects of the new brand. “One piece of dealer feedback was that it was important to ensure our eight decades of hauling heritage was embedded in the new brand, which was essential for us too,” explains Paul. “One way we incorporated this is through a ‘Made in Britain’ element within our machine branding for certain markets. “Of all the dealers we initially tested the Rokbak name and new colour on, the majority were immediately enthusiastic, leaving just a couple of individuals who needed to see a little bit more to be convinced. I wasn’t remotely surprised at how quickly they changed their minds at the launch. Two dealers in particular immediately flipped 180° – they were literally jumping for joy and couldn’t wait to start promoting the new haulers. I’d never seen them as enthusiastic when they were selling the previous machines! They are now some of our biggest champions.” A TRUE SUCCESS

That enthusiasm must have been contagious because when the Rokbak brand was finally revealed on September 1st 2021 – gratifyingly taking the media, customers and the competition by surprise – the public reaction was music to Paul’s ears. “I was delighted by how well it was received externally,” concludes Paul. “The momentum built quickly, with customers and dealers alike eager to get their hands on Rokbakbranded products, whether that was haulers, work wear or coffee mugs. Seeing the news bouncing around social media was great too, perhaps the best feedback you can get. “When people see the new Sand paint job in real life they are blown away – it looks incredible on the iron. We’ve been out at a few trade shows and open days this year – including Hillhead, Balmoral Show and ScotPlant – and the feedback has been that our haulers were the bestlooking pieces of equipment on site!” The success of the entire rebranding project was also recognised by a wider audience when the company walked away from the Star Awards 2022 with five accolades from the Marketing Society, as well as a CeeD Industry Award at the start of the year.

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Institute of Quarrying Launches New Geotechnical Qualification

The Institute of Quarrying (IQ) has developed a new geotechnical qualification, providing a flexible and innovative approach for anyone working in the industry.

Responding to feedback from employers and industry professionals, and with support from MP Awards, the IQ is offering members and nonmembers access to the new Level 3 and 4 Awards in Geotechnical Knowledge for Managing Mineral Processing Operations. The new geotechnical qualifications are suitable for anyone dealing with quarried products in day-to-day job roles. Comprising a unique blend of assessed classroom training, site tour, e-learning modules, and a professional discussion, it is tailored to the learners’ operational environment and can be completed at their own pace. Anthony Elgey, Education and Skills Project Manager at the IQ, explains: “Working closely with MP Awards, the IQ has developed new geotechnical qualifications that raises the standard and underpins the competencies required by the sector, both now and in the future. “One of the key improvements to the qualification is that it is now pathway driven. Learners can choose tailored modules and units relevant to the specific geology and the needs of the operational environment, be it quarry, dimension stone operation, cement works, sand pit, wharf, or rail depot. “The course is flexible and can be completed at the learners’ own pace to fit around busy work-life schedules. We’ve also removed the exam aspect and replaced the final assessment with a professional discussion, a great way of assessing how they put the theory into practice.” As part of a three-tier approach, learners will attend a one day classroom training session with an industry specialist, who will also guide the candidates on a tour of the site putting theory into real world context, followed by the completion of a short programme of tailored online learning. The final step involves a professional discussion, whereby an assessor will evaluate that their knowledge meets the standard of the new qualification. MP Awards, part of the Mineral Products Qualifications Council (MPQC), is a dedicated sectorspecific Awarding Organisation for regulated qualifications. It also provides assessment solutions and a range of other services within the extractive, mineral processing and related manufacturing sectors. Visit the IQ’s website for more information or to enquire about the new qualifications - www.quarrying.org

Terex MP Acquires ZenRobotics, a ‘Green’ Investment in the Emerging Circular Economy

Terex Materials Processing (MP), a global leader in aggregate, environmental, concrete, lifting, and handling machinery, has acquired the assets of ZenRobotics Ltd., a company that designs and creates robots that pick, sort, and recycle waste material.

ZenRobotics is a global leader in smart robotic recycling. Its robots, powered by proprietary AI software, make recycling more efficient, accurate and profitable. The company’s ambition is to make the circular economy a reality by turning global waste into clean raw materials. ZenRobotics, based in Helsinki, Finland, will retain its name and become a Terex brand, with the unit reporting to Tony Devlin, who leads the Terex MP environmental businesses. ZenRobotics was started in 2007 by creating a completely new market for robotic waste sorting. Today, it continues to automate the waste industry. With ZenRobotics technology, operators can upgrade their recycling infrastructure to meet modern requirements and lead the way towards a more efficient, circular future. In 2009, ZenRobotics pioneered the use of AI-based robots to the waste-sorting process. This led the team to open opportunities by introducing the first ZenRobotics Recycler in Helsinki. Since that time, it has become a global operation, marketing multiple recyclers around the world including expansion into China and the US market in 2016. In 2015, ZenRobotics launched the Heavy Picker, the world’s strongest waste sorting robot for bulky Construction and Demolition (C&D) type waste. ZenRobotics’ goal is to help its customers extract higher value out of waste, get more actionable data, and reach ambitious circular economy targets. Terex is already active within global waste markets through Terex Ecotec, Terex CBI, Terex Fuchs, and Terex Recycling. Zen Robotics will add to the Terex portfolio in global waste, where it will continue to be operated as a stand-alone business while also benefiting from MP’s broader market presence and from efficiencies enabled by MP’s global scale. This acquisition of a highly “green-focused” company further supports MP’s commitment to its environmental business and Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) goals. Over 15 years of industry-defining product development have enabled ZenRobotics to create industry-pioneering technology. The Heavy Picker is a multipurpose waste sorting robot for bulky material. Equipped with sturdy arms, various sensors, and artificial intelligence, it provides a simple, unstaffed sorting process and makes waste sorting more accurate, safe, and profitable. The Fast Picker is a high-speed waste sorting robot for maximizing material recovery. It is compactly designed for easy integration to existing processes and conveyors in material recovery facilities (MRFs), and it

increases profits by enabling fully automated sorting and higher output purity.

ZenBrain

And finally, the company launched the ZenBrain, which is artificial intelligence for sorting robots with advanced recognition ability and autonomous decision-making. This technology provides actionable data and a steep learning curve in optimizing waste sorting efficiency. Tony Devlin commented: “ZenRobotics is an exciting, modern company that lends itself perfectly to our pre-existing environmental expertise, and their ethos of making a circular economy more possible aligns perfectly with our goals and targets for the future of Terex MP. We’re excited to see the many ways that we can apply this technology and what potential this acquisition can bring Terex MP with the application of this technology. The journey that we’re about to begin with ZenRobotics and Terex MP is one that we look forward to starting, and we extend a warm welcome our new colleagues into the Terex MP team.” Jarmo Ruohonen, CEO of ZenRobotics had this to say about the recent acquisition: “We at ZenRobotics are delighted to be welcomed into the Terex MP team and we look forward to sharing our knowledge. As a company, we have worked hard for the past 15 years creating technology that helps companies efficiently deal with different types of waste materials, helping to chase down targets that propel us towards a more circular economy. Terex MP is the perfect partner to help us achieve that, and being part of the Terex MP team will give ZenRobotics more global opportunities to grow.”