by Nick Drew | Fri 26 Jan 2024
Coltrax… Who knew?
Our friend and renowned industrial designer Gary Major commented on the photo saying he was intrigued by the Coltrax 9-tonner, saying it was a brand he had little knowledge of. The machine I saw at Intermat was being used as a demonstrator on the Holp GmbH stand and was fitted with their Rototop rotation attachment.
I have to admit that it was the first and last time I had seen a Coltrax machine, so I decided to do a bit of digging (forgive the pun) to try and find out a bit more about them.
I discovered that Coltrax is based in the small commune of Alex, in the beautiful Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-eastern France. The company badge and sell a range of mini and midi excavators ranging from 1.2 tonne CX12, up to the 10-tonne class CX95ST.
From what I gather these machines are produced by Italian manufacturer Eurocomach part of the Sampierana group, now owned by CNH. In addition to the excavators Coltrax also market ranges of skid steer loaders and mini tracked dumpers.
The ethos behind the company appears to be to create a range of machines in France and Europe so customers can invest their money in the home market rather than spending money on cheap Asian imports, which as history has shown us, caused the demise of famous old manufacturers in the UK namely Hymac and Priestman, and to some extent the most famous French brand of construction machinery Poclain.
It's an interesting business that I would be keen to find out more about. According to the website their machines are also marketed in several European countries, it would be good to visit some sites to see these distinctive liveried machines in action one day.
Maybe we will get to see another example during the next Intermat exhibition, which will be held in Paris, France, from April 24-27, 2024 at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition centre.
Checkout this video presentation of their CX41 and CX49 models, its all in French but you'll get the idea.