Mobile Track Solutions attends ConExpo to showcase upcoming products
MTS employees work the booth at the largest construction trade show in North America, the ConExpo in Las Vegas. (Submitted photos)
The die-cast scale model of the 3630W Switchback, a construction-grade tractor, and the 3330XL scraper will be available this summer through SpecCast in Dyersville.
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
In early March, 30 Mobile Track Solutions (MTS) employees went to Las Vegas for ConExpo, the largest construction trade show in North America with over 139,000 attendees from 133 countries and 2,400 exhibitors from 36 countries. The purpose of ConExpo is to generate new leads and meet with current/past customers, dealers and vendors.
It is additionally used to look at new equipment coming to market or in the design phase, talk to experts in fields like hauling, trucking and earthmoving, make connections with manufacturers and ask questions about machinery, products and the evolution of the business.
This year’s show focused on the electrification and automation future of the industry. It highlights one of the reasons MTS was in attendance, which was to show off some new product concepts, most notably the conceptual design 33-38ET.
This would be an electric traction scraper, and “looking toward electric drive and electrification of the scraper world,” MTS Marketing Director Taylor Bockenstedt explained.
Bockenstedt said the theme was meant to provide alternatives, new ways and new resources to dealers and customers, while also reducing fuel burn, to “make it clean.”
MTS also showcased new component pieces, including a quick hitch on the tractor, as well as scale model die-cast toys and collectibles, which will be produced through SpecCast in Dyersville and should be available this summer. The line will feature the 3630W Switchback, which is a construction-grade tractor that will come with the 3330XL scraper.
While showcasing new equipment and ideas, MTS was there to generate new leads, contacts and potential projects. According to Bockenstedt, based on the leads, MTS is expected to increase its number of dealerships in the upcoming years, though an exact number is unknown. “I don’t want to jinx it,” Bockenstedt joked.
Another positive outcome of the convention was meeting with vendors who can assist with supply chain issues lingering from the height of the pandemic, which is still impacting products necessary for the tractors and scrapers.
“It will really help us on the manufacturing side,” Bockenstedt said.
Leads were developed for projects across the United States as well as potential projects in Australia and Canada. There’s also the potential for increased production, but that depends largely on what the customer base needs over the coming months.
One noticeable change Bockenstedt noticed while at the convention, which takes place once every three years, was the shift in foot traffic. It has changed from people walking into the booth asking who and what MTS is to more people who already know who MTS is and what the company does.
“In the last three years, we’ve really changed the tides of MTS in how we are viewed in the industry and we’ve made a name for ourselves. It’s been pretty cool,” Bockenstedt said.
Bockenstedt also mentioned how MTS is always working on bringing people to Elkader, including dealers and vendors.
“We want to bring people to Elkader, so we can show them who we are. It’s a huge thing for us and our ownership,” Bockenstedt said.
All of it is designed to highlight how MTS is a “relevant player” in the market, which is evidenced by the company’s growth over the last three years in number of dealerships, jumping from 12 to 22. That number is expected to grow once the new leads are followed up on from the recent convention.
After 18 months of planning, Bockenstedt, who organized the majority of the event for MTS, said she was “happy with how it went” as MTS looks toward the future of the company with continued innovation, expansion and product development.
