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Founded in 1978, Miller UK has grown into an international company offering an extensive range of excavator attachments, buckets, and its renowned Miller couplers. With its products used by some of the world\u2019s leading OEMs of earthmoving equipment, Miller\u2019s mission is to ensure access to the tools needed to maximize production hours, reduce lead times, enhance yield, and provide best-in-class operator safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The success Miller is experiencing today is all thanks to the determination and passion of Founder and Chairman, Keith Miller. We sit down with Keith to learn more about the company\u2019s evolution and the story behind how it rose to its current position as a dominant player in the UK market that is now expanding across the globe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInnovation has been at our core since day one, and it\u2019s our dedicated team of design engineers who are constantly pushing technology boundaries to ensure that our earthmoving attachments are at the forefront of safety standards and efficiency,\u201d Keith begins. \u201cTo fully explain the origins of the business, I\u2019ll take you back to 1978 when I was a young 21-year-old working as a welder. I was mechanically minded and passionate about fixing things, repairing cars or fixing engines during my spare time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlthough I was young, I was very ambitious, and one day, I approached my manager to speak about my career prospects. To my disappointment, the manager claimed that all I would ever do was second-rate welding in a statement that I can clearly remember even today. Determined to prove him wrong, I began visiting local plants to offer my services for on-site mechanical jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLooking back, I didn\u2019t even have a business card to give them, and in the early days when I was still living with my parents, I had to give my potential clients my parents\u2019 home phone number! I then started working evenings and weekends to get traction until there was enough business to hand my notice in and commit to growing Miller UK.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the time, Miller was in a fortunate position to capitalize on the numerous construction projects happening across the UK, from Kielder Water\u2019s dam to the construction of new motorways. \u201cWith machinery being deployed around the country, we started to gain a strong reputation by completing repair work for local plant hire companies,\u201d Keith explains. \u201cI had an engineering brain and through negative know-how, I recognized opportunities to improve the designs of the buckets I was repairing for clients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLearning from my experiences, Miller began manufacturing buckets for excavators in the 1980s to deliver optimum efficiency for operators. Right from the beginning, we embraced the concept of continuous improvement, finding innovative ways to enhance our offering, which we still do today. The business gradually grew, and my brother and sister joined me, eventually creating a small team to support our operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur innovation then extended beyond buckets and after conducting market research, we identified a gap in the market for a unique way to change from one attachment to another with minimal manual work,\u201d he continues. \u201cAs the industry\u2019s machinery and attachments evolved, so did Miller\u2019s forward-thinking strategy. The original concept behind the coupler was to imagine a hydraulic hand that could seamlessly change from one accessory to another. We eventually developed a tool capable of doing so, hence the birth of the Miller coupler.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the coupler\u2019s journey to success was far from straightforward. \u201cI was super excited about the unique product we\u2019d created, and I couldn\u2019t understand why it wasn\u2019t an instant success,\u201d Keith recalls. \u201cWe learned a marketing lesson the hard way; we started by approaching OEMs, and although they were receptive, it simply added cost to the machine from their perspective. We realized that a better approach would be contacting the operators directly, so we offered sample trials to several large contractors in return for honest feedback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe coupler quickly gained positive reviews and OEMs began to request the coupler from dealers, who then became familiar with our technology and its benefits. We then got another breakthrough when a major machine manufacturer launched a new range of machines that were incompatible with the older bucket design. By fitting the host machine with a Miller coupler, the new machines could pick up both types of buckets.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since then, Miller has continued its innovative path with several developments and upgrades. \u201cWe then took this concept one step further by creating a universal multi-pin grabber, which enables host machines from any brand that are fitted with a Miller coupler to pick up any brand of bucket or attachment,\u201d Keith says. \u201cWe\u2019ve also designed buckets to match the couplers, providing our customers with additional productivity and versatility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur depth of understanding is what sets us apart in the market; my early experiences of fixing machines on job sites means that we genuinely understand the products, as well as customers\u2019 problems and requirements. This ultimately adds value to our customers\u2019 operations, whether it be a dealer for the OEM or a large contracting company.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miller has also established an independent global distributor network, supplying global markets including the US, Europe, India, the Middle East, and Australia through a combination of wholly owned subsidiaries and joint venture agreements. \u201cWe\u2019re proud to manufacture in the UK, but we recognized that to grow internationally, we needed to manufacture products closer to the end markets,\u201d Keith states. \u201cMost recently, we\u2019ve opened a distribution center for the North American market in Houston, Texas, and we\u2019re very fortunate to have fantastic relationships with OEMs all around the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pushing to win more market share around the globe; we\u2019re the dominant player in the UK, but there are opportunities to reach the same status in other geographic markets,\u201d Keith concludes. \u201cWe have a five-year plan in place to double the size of the company, and as we do so, we\u2019ll strive to further develop our relationships with OEMs and become their provider of choice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n