Mack Trucks’ Pioneer prototype was on display at the Lehigh Valley plant in Allentown, Pa. on March 31. (Michael Freeze/Transport Topics)
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Discussing the manufacturing process inside Mack Trucks’ Lehigh Valley Operations plant, Gunnar Brunius, vice president of LVO, couldn’t hide his enthusiasm in comparing the manufacturer’s newest legacy model, Pioneer, to its former standard bearer, Anthem.
“I get goosebumps when I see the legacy products next to each other,” he said March 31 at the final audit check area looking at both the newly unveiled Pioneer and an Anthem model. “You see a big difference in the product quality.”
Brunius noted the process took hold nearly seven years ago. “It’s a long, long journey to get to this point now,” he recalled.
Mack Trucks launched the new product line, with the first units being built in late 2024 and full production ramping up in 2025, replacing the Anthem. However, production of the Pioneer itself was a long process, said Manas Kumar, LVO’s director of manufacturing, engineering and maintenance.
“The product builds, like pilot builds, started almost 3½ years ago,” he said. “Then we start bringing the industrialization and so on,” Kumar continued, adding that he worked alongside the product design team in configuring early concepts and eventually physically building the truck.
Brunius
In transitioning to a new product, Mack invested $80 million to expand the plant by 400,000 square feet. The improvements, Brunius said, have resulted in better efficiency and ease of assembly.
During production, 2,500 employees are working first and second shifts, in addition to 500 maintenance-related personnel. Brunius noted it is important to strike a fine balance between increasing efficiency and keeping workers safe.
“When I talk about safety in this industry, many people have the tendency to think that ergonomic and safety can cause contradictions. I would say it’s the opposite,” he explained. “If you have good ergonomics,” productivity rises, “so it’s just a win-win.”
Brunius noted that while safety is the core priority for the Mack plant, three other key priorities are just as vital. “The first one of those is quality,” he said, “and No. 2 is quality and No. 3 is quality.”
