Page 68 • September 29, 2021 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Off-Road Trucks Section • Construction Equipment Guide
AUSA Grows U.S. Market for Its Unique Compact Equipment
AUSA has become a global manufacturer of compact industrial vehicles for moving materials and road maintenance.
By Eric Olson CEG CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
In 1956, four friends in Spain came together to form a company to design and build microcars for the European market. Their business, Automóviles Utilitarios Sociedad Anónima (AUSA), only produced the diminutive automobiles for five years, but the cars were noted for their comfort and the quality of their workmanship. Then, AUSA abruptly shifted its focus in 1961 to make small dumpers for the construction sector. Although more commonly used in Europe, dumpers are different from dump trucks in that they are designed to be open four-wheeled vehicles with the load skip in front of the driver. In contrast, most dump trucks are larger and have their cab mounted in front of the load. A dumper gets its name from the fact its skip can tip to dump the load. Sixty years later, AUSA has become a global manufacturer of compact industrial vehicles for moving materials and road maintenance. From its headquarters outside Barcelona, Spain, the equipment maker now produces a line of 16 different dumpers as well as forklift and telehandler models. But it has only been since 2015 that AUSA has had a market presence in the United States, after the Spanish company decided to take a crack at America’s lucrative construction equipment business. “AUSA hired me in 2014 because of my expertise in the U.S. market and knowledge of how to create distribution networks in this country,” said Ignasi Moner, CEO of AUSA US Corp., from the company’s American offices just outside Charleston, S.C. “AUSA asked if I was ready to create a U.S. corporation and do state-by-state growth. I did so and we opened our American subsidiary in December 2014.” He noted that AUSA chose Charleston because of its desire to be on the mid-Atlantic coast where the time difference between South Carolina and the AUSA factory in Barcelona is a relatively short six hours. Its U.S. warehouse in Houston, Texas, is only one additional time zone behind
(L-R): AUSA’s Anthony Buccini, Sam Terrell and Ignasi Moner.
the Mediterranean port city. With much of AUSA’s equipment and parts being transported via ocean vessels, establishing facilities in key shipping port cities like Houston, Charleston and Baltimore was a logical step. Dumpers Have Become AUSA’s Top Sellers Of the three machine types that AUSA makes and sells, Moner characterized its compact dumpers as the company’s most popular line, although that was certainly not the case when he arrived in the United States. “It started with our forklifts because we saw a real need for the rough terrain models, but now I would certainly say
it is the AUSA dumpers,” he said. “On my visits to construction sites around the world, it is common to see dumpers at work. When AUSA came here, we were among the top three dumper manufacturers in the world, but not only did I not see our dumpers in America, I could hardly see dumpers at all.” Moner noted, though, that after beginning its American operations, the product promotion that AUSA did at large industry events, like the annual Golf Industry Show and the World of Concrete convention, began to pay off for the manufacturer. “We also worked with golf course builders and general construction contractors, and since then, more contractors have come to see the benefit of using dumpers,” he said. see AUSA page 70
