May 2026
At CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026, North America’s largest construction trade show, SMH Group highlighted its Atlas and Mantsinen equipment lines. Its display featured Atlas 185W and 220W wheeled excavators, an Atlas 195LC crawler material handler, an Atlas 250MH material handler, and a Mantsinen 60 material handler, along with technology and support resources designed to help customers get more from each machine. SMH Group also set up a Mantsinen simulator to give attendees a hands-on look at the operator experience.
“The Atlas and Mantsinen lines have the ability to support industries where they haven’t been traditionally used,” said Tim Hyland, Vice President, SMH Group. “While we have a great presence in the scrap and port markets, we also see real opportunities for them in municipal work, roadbuilding, waste transfer, forestry and demolition work. The equipment can be factory-specced to match their type of work.”
The Atlas 185W and 220W wheeled excavators are strong fits for municipal and roadbuilding contractors that need mobility, reach and flexibility for work in traffic, around utilities and in confined environments. In urban and suburban areas where infrastructure work often happens in narrow corridors, these machines can help improve productivity while also supporting operator safety.
“We specced our wheeled excavators for the show with municipalities and road contractors top of mind,” stated Todd Dohnal, Regional Sales Manager, SMH Group. “These are machines for crews working in active environments where they need to move fast, handle multiple tasks and minimize how often the operator has to leave the cab. That is why features like the oil quick-change system are so important. We also outfitted them with a hydraulically adjustable boom-and-stick combination designed specifically for roadwork and municipal applications, especially in the Northeast corridor.”
The Atlas wheeled excavators also feature a unique front-end design. Mark Dublin, SMH Group Regional Sales Manager, noted that the configuration allows operators to dig and work much closer to the front of the machine without limiting out, which is valuable in tight roadside work, street reconstruction and utility projects where positioning matters.
While the Atlas 195LC crawler material handler was brought to the show as a waste transfer machine, SMH Group also sees it as a fit for demolition-related work where customers need durability and production from a conventional crawler platform.
“The Atlas 195LC is a practical machine for customers in waste transfer or demolition because it gives them a stable undercarriage, dependable lifting performance and a layout that fits tough, repetitive work,” Hyland explained.
For companies moving scrap, feeding shredders, sorting material and loading tri-axle trucks, the Atlas 250MH material handler offers a purpose-built solution – including a raised cab to increase visibility – that differs from a standard excavator. Rather than adapting a construction machine to a material-handling role, the Atlas 250MH is designed specifically for that kind of production work.
In the scrap industry, Mantsinen 60 material handlers have the durability and power to handle heavy scrap loads with ease. They provide dependable production for feeding shredders or loading bulk material for transportation.
On the port and bulk-handling side, the Mantsinen 60 material handler emphasizes efficiency, serviceability, technology and operator comfort. Whether working at inland river terminals or coastal ports, the machine is designed to move cargo efficiently while also giving owners and operators a machine that can be configured around their operation.
“The Mantsinen material handler was designed to be operator-friendly, easy to maintain and easy to adapt to different environments,” described Dohnal. “The product range includes everything from diesel to electric to rail-mounted, gantry, pylon and dual-power configurations. That flexibility allows customers to match the machine to the application instead of compromising with a one-size-fits-all setup.”
Mantsinen Sales & Application Manager Jukka Jokinen highlighted that the material handler can be sold dual-powered, giving operators the option to run on diesel or electric power. As port and industrial regulators evaluate environmental impact, dual-power equipment allows companies to pursue electrification without sacrificing diesel power when needed.
Mantsinen machines are also built with a strong emphasis on durability, visibility and service access. Features such as advanced guarding, an ergonomic cab design and easily accessible service hatches help simplify maintenance and increase uptime.
“Mantsinen is focused on attention to detail,” Dublin said. “These machines were designed by people who understand material handling. They have large cab interiors, metal guarding to protect against falling material, joystick controls, and service layouts that let technicians walk up and into the machine on most models to access major components more easily.”
SMH Group recognizes that support is just as important as the machine and recently opened a new location in North Carolina to better serve customers.
“Our new Charlotte facility with a 22,000-square-foot parts availability and millions in inventory, has increased our ability to provide first-class support to our customers,” declared Dohnal.
Hyland concluded, “We feel very good about where these machines fit in the market right now. There is a lot of opportunity in front of us because the products address real needs in real applications. When customers want equipment that is built for the job and backed by support, we believe this lineup gives them a strong option.”
