The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) enshrined two industry leaders into its Hall of Fame during its Annual Conference.
Susanne Cobey, president and CEO of Eagle Crusher Co., and Akio Takeuchi, founder of Takeuchi Manufacturing, are this year’s inductees. AEM credits both Cobey and Takeuchi with spearheading innovative product segments.
“AEM takes great pride in welcoming Susanne Cobey and Akio Takeuchi to our Hall of Fame roster of esteemed industry leaders,” says AEM President Megan Tanel. “They both serve as inspiration for the next generation to cultivate and pursue transformative ideas for the industry and the betterment of all.
“Akio Takeuchi’s strategic leadership within the compact equipment market, coupled with his attentive approach to customer needs and product development, has notably pioneered a distinct industry segment,” Tanel adds. “Similarly, Susanne Cobey, confronted with challenges in the crusher industry during the 1980s, ingeniously used Eagle Crusher’s technology to spearhead the pavement recycling sector, contributing significantly to concrete and asphalt waste reduction.”
Susanne Cobey
Cobey joined Eagle Crusher in 1970 as parts manager and quickly advanced through multiple ranks to become company president and CEO in 1990.
Cobey spearheaded the commercial recycling industry in the U.S. in the 1980s during a period of significant change in the industry, according to AEM. She is credited with building the first U.S. commercial recycling plant, Eagle Crusher’s Jumbo 1400, in 1984.
Under Cobey’s vision, the plant took crushing to a new level with its abilities to process high volumes of aggregates, concrete and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), AEM says. A whole line of portable horizontal impactor plants soon followed, creating a boon for the aggregate crushing, recycled concrete and RAP markets, according to the association.
AEM says Cobey dedicated herself to helping other women in the industry succeed. She has addressed the topic of women in the industry in a variety of videos and news articles, serving as a keynote speaker and role model at commencement addresses.
Akio Takeuchi
Takeuchi has been part of the construction equipment industry for six decades, founding Takeuchi Manufacturing in 1963 at the age of 29.
Takeuchi is credited with creating the world’s first compact excavator in 1971 – the TB1000 – in response to a local business partner asking the company to create a new machine that would help its employees do their jobs faster, easier and with less manual labor, according to AEM. Since then, Takeuchi Manufacturing has presented more innovations, including the first offset boom excavator and the first compact track loader, AEM says.
The AEM Hall of Fame has been recognizing luminaries in the agriculture and construction equipment manufacturing industry since 1993. Inductees include Benjamin Holt (Caterpillar), John Deere (Deere & Co.) and Mary Andringa (Vermeer), among others. The induction of Takeuchi and Cobey brings the total number of inductees to 69.
