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As Gradall Industries celebrates a significant anniversary, the company is balancing heritage with investment. From its manufacturing base in New Philadelphia, Ohio, Gradall continues to expand its vacuum truck operations, introduce new equipment platforms, and evaluate AIenabled technologies across manufacturing and field applications. Leading that effort is President Mike Popovich, whose three decades with the company have given him a front-row seat to its evolution.
The business still traces its identity to a single innovation that solved a workforce challenge.“ Gradall Industries was formed right after World War II because of manpower shortages. There was important work to do but there were not enough people. Out of necessity, a contractor from Cleveland invented the‘ Gradall’- a telescopic boom excavator on a truck chassis – and it was a game changer. It was the first hydraulically operated excavator in the world at the time,” he says.
Staple yet iconic
That problem-solving mindset still drives Gradall today. Production moved to New Philadelphia in 1950 and remains there, with engineering, manufacturing, assembly, and support functions operating from the same site. Solving specific customer challenges remains a central philosophy, and over the decades, Gradall has expanded well beyond its excavator roots, most notably through the growth of its Vacall business. Since acquiring Vacall in 2006, Gradall
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