MERLO FACTORY VISIT

In 1953 Natalina and Amilcare Merlo moved to the suburbs of the Northern Italian town of Cuneo. Quickly, a 2,000m2 factory was built and what was once a small machining company became a modern production plant. By 1964 the company we know today as Merlo was born, the factory expanding to 40,000m2 and within two years the production of dump trucks and self-propelled truck mixers began.

"SELF-RELIANCE IS A MAJOR KEY TO MERLO’S SUCCESS, BY BEING ITS OWN SOURCE AND PRODUCER OF PARTS THEY DON’T NEED TO RELY ON DELIVERY, IMPORT OR CHANGING SPECIFICATIONS..."

In 1981 Merlo created the first of what would become their propulsion for the future, the SM30 telehandler.

Earlier this year green machine manufacturer Merlo invited Awesome Earthmovers to their now 330,000m2 factory, which is still based in Cuneo, for an in-depth tour to see how all their machines are designed and built.

Over 8000 machines leave the factory every year, from telehandlers to tracked carriers and even concrete mixers. The site produces, in-house, 92% of each machine, including transmission, axles and cabs, one of the only components Merlo doesn’t produce here are tyres.

Awesome Earthmovers spoke to Shaun Groom, General Manager for Merlo UK and Ireland, who described the factory:

“A COMPREHENSIVE PRODUCTION SITE, BY WHICH I MEAN, TRUE MANUFACTURING. WE’RE A LITTLE BIT UNIQUE AT MERLO AS WEPRODUCE 92% OF COMPONENTS FOUND ACROSS OUR RANGE OF PRODUCTS”

With a workforce of over 1,700 people, Merlo is aiming to streamline and improve efficiency whilst maintaining high quality production of every machine. All staff members must undergo a six-week training programme before being able to start work on the production floor.

Self-reliance is a major key to Merlo’s success, by being its own source and producer of parts they don’t need to rely on delivery, import or changing specifications – they can manage almost all requests and solve problems themselves; this self-reliance even extends to in-house machining of bespoke tools to make the lives of engineers working in the factory as easy as possible.

Metal at Merlo

Currently Merlo utilises over 70,000 tonnes of steel every year. As with most machinery manufacturers, the metal components utilised must be high quality, durable and often specifically shaped. Merlo’s approach to metal components is to go as far as to form their own plastic mouldings using an array of injection moulders upon which are mounted the company’s own moulds.

This method of almost complete self-sufficiency allows Merlo the freedom to create innovative products and continually build on existing designs without concerns about continued sourcing of pivotal, often complex, components.

Further complement to Merlo’s metallurgy capabilities is the fact that they have taught in-house robots to weld a large range of major components, something many other manufacturers claim is too expensive and time consuming – yet Merlo is certainly reaping the benefits now, given their engineers are able to spend more time focussing on specific, challenging, tasks.

Barely Scratching the Surface

Whilst the vast production floor above ground is impressive, it’s not until you witness the network of storage and logistics below that the scale of Merlo’s operation in Italy becomes truly apparent.

Instead of forklifts and battery-powered trucks on the factory floor, Merlo has created an underground network of railways that transport the larger items around the factory; not only saving space but also time for workers. The components are raised to the production floor by a series of hoists within lift shafts.

Bespoke Booms

Boom arms are perhaps Merlo’s major selling point – to achieve the perfect lightweight yet sturdy boom the company was completely involved in design and production from the ground up. Not only did they initially design the parts but also created the programme that bends the metal in the press – they did this by utilising a piece of software that measures the resistance of the metal to deformation and so adjusts the pressure of the press in real time.

All this leading to smaller, lighter booms positioned lower in the chassis, increasing stability and giving greater visibility.

The Rewards for their efforts

Merlo is constantly striving for, in the words of the family still at the heart of the company, a 30% increase in productivity – and they are getting very close.

The Merlo factory in Cuneo operates like a Merlo made machine, no unnecessary fuss or frills but with a charm that you can’t help but admire. All of this before you even start work, at which point the machine embodies efficiency and forward progress like no other.