Pierce Manufacturing Inc. successfully launched the first phase of its new high flow production line at its Appleton campus which modernizes the custom chassis assembly process.
The High Flow Line is another major milestone in Pierce’s multi-year modernization initiative and ongoing $150 million investment across manufacturing facilities in Wisconsin, Florida and Tennessee to expand production capacity, improve quality and reduce fire apparatus lead times.
The High Flow Line introduces a redesigned manufacturing model focused on balanced workloads, enhanced quality controls within the production line and integrated technology to promote safety, efficiency and consistency. Phase I implementation is already delivering measurable improvements across the custom chassis production process.
“These investments reflect our continued focus on transforming how custom fire apparatus are built to meet the needs of modern firefighting,” said Marty Bass, president of Pierce Manufacturing. “By integrating High Flow production principles with advanced technology and expanded facilities, we’re creating safer, more efficient work environments for our team members while accelerating lead time reductions for our customers. We’ve already reduced lead times by more than three months from their peak, and we expect this next phase will build on that momentum.”
Pierce continues to accelerate backlog reduction.
Phase I also incorporates expanded use of digital work instructions, improved tooling, ergonomic workstations and advanced inspection technologies to support safe operations and production consistency. These enhancements complement other recent investments at the Appleton campus, including advanced automation, robotics, fabrication technologies and expanded paint capacity.
Across its operations, the company has added more than 500,000 square feet of facility space, invested over $70 million to date, and hired approximately 800 new team members.
Additional phases of the High Flow Line are planned.
