Amerequip announces expansion in Kiel
Amerequip is planning a 32,000-square-foot expansion of its plant in Kiel where it manufactures custom equipment for the commercial lawn, landscape, agricultural, construction, waste management and industrial markets. Officials say an additional 25-30 new skilled team members will be hired for positions within the expanded facility. The expansion is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2023.
“We are excited about the growth potential that this new expansion offers,” said Mike VanderZanden, president and CEO of Amerequip. “It will provide assembly space for new business we have been awarded as well as room for additional shipping and receiving. We take great pride in providing good paying, local jobs with development opportunities for team members throughout their career at Amerequip. We value what they do for us and our clients. This new facility will help us to continue delivering on our high standard and quality of work.”
Mid-States Aluminum acquired by Mayville Engineering
Privately held Mid-States Aluminum Corp. of Fond du Lac has been acquired by Mayville-based Mayville Engineering Company, Inc. for $96 million, the company announced last month. The proposed acquisition is expected to close during the third quarter of 2023. Mid-States Aluminum is a vertically integrated manufacturer of custom aluminum extrusions and fabrications that for nearly 60 years has served major OEMs in the building and construction, recreational, medical, agriculture, transportation and other diverse end-markets. It operates two facilities in Fond du Lac that include approximately 325,000 square feet of manufacturing space.
“MSA is an established provider of aluminum extrusions whose history of growth and innovation, attractive margin profile, deep customer relationships and diverse end-markets are highly complementary to our existing business,” said Jag Reddy, president and CEO of Mayville Engineering. “During the next three years, we anticipate significant synergies to result from this transaction, consistent with our long-term focus on margin expansion and profitable growth.”
AriensCo cuts production staff
AriensCo announced June 6 it was cutting second, third and weekend shift production staff at its main plant in Brillion. The company manufactures outdoor equipment including lawn, garden and snow removal equipment under a variety of brand names.
The company said in a statement: “We are rebalancing our manufacturing workforce across our different locations and shifts to maximize production output. AriensCo is immediately ending some of its Brillion campus 2nd, 3rd and weekend shift operations. Alternatively, we are expanding the production output on 1st shift. All impacted employees are encouraged to apply for these new positions as well as other positions currently available. We have roughly 100 positions open for impacted employees to consider. No other changes are planned. We understand this rebalance directly affects employees and have provided paid time for them to apply for open roles.”
Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry honored by New North
Manitowoc-based Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry was one of two companies honored with the 2023 New North Workplace Excellence Award. Selected from nominated companies through a multi-phase evaluation process, representatives of WAF, along with representatives from CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP), were presented the award at New North Inc.’s annual summit June 8 at Lambeau Field. Award submissions were evaluated on two primary criteria: people practices and business practices.
“We are deeply honored and grateful to receive this award,” said WAF CEO Sachin Shivaram. “The story of our company truly could not have happened anywhere else. The hard-working people of this community, outstanding educational institutions, and the highly collaborative business ecosystem around us are the true reasons behind our success. We hope that by creating a compelling place to work, we can bring new talent to the region that will help all of us achieve continued growth.”
Pierce Manufacturing secures order from city of San Diego
Pierce Manufacturing Inc. announced the city of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department has placed an order for 18 custom fire apparatus, including 17 Pierce fire trucks and one Frontline Communications mobile command vehicle. The new fire and emergency vehicles represent the first order in a $52 million fleet replacement initiative for the city of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department to support sustainability and fleet operation and mechanics standardization initiatives.
“We purchased our first Pierce fire apparatus in 1991,” said James Gaboury, deputy fire chief of San Diego Fire-Rescue’s Logistics Division. “We’ve developed a trusted 20-plus year relationship with South Coast Fire Equipment, and because of a longstanding proven track record, our goal is to maintain an entirely Pierce fleet to provide a consistent fire apparatus platform for our firefighters and mechanics.”
Oshkosh Defense protest denied
The United States General Accounting Office has denied a protest from Oshkosh Defense over the awarding of a contract for the military’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. The company filed the protest in February after A-M General of Indiana was awarded a $9.7 billion, five-year deal to build 20,862 of the vehicles and 9,833 trailers. The contract has an option for a sixth year. Oshkosh Defense beat out A-M General in 2015 for the JLTV project and announced in May it had produced the 20,000th vehicle under that contract.
In a brief statement to the online news site Breaking Defense, an Oshkosh spokeswoman said the company is “disappointed with the decision and we firmly believe our proposal was the lowest risk, best value solution for the young men and women serving our nation.”
Fincantieri Marinette Marine awarded new U.S. Navy contract
The Department of Defense announced May 21 that Fincantieri Marinette Marine was awarded a $526 million contract to build a fourth Constellation-class Frigate. FMM received the contract for the first-in-class Constellation-class frigate in April 2020, and since then the Navy has exercised three options for follow-on vessels. The Constellation-class frigates will be used for various operations, including anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine, electromagnetic warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Construction on the first frigate began in late August last year in Marinette, and FMM is scheduled to deliver that ship, the future USS Constellation, in 2026. Contracts for the USS Congress and USS Chesapeake were previously awarded.
Dura-Fibre acquires Chicago converting business
Menasha-based Dura-Fibre, LLC, one of the U.S.’s largest independent industrial paperboard laminating businesses, announced in May its acquisition of Greif Chicago Converting to strengthen its presence in custom laminated products and packaging. Following the acquisition, manufacturing operations will move to Dura-Fibre’s Menasha manufacturing facility. Greif’s Protect-A-Board and Protect-A-Floor products are not included in the sale.
Women of Influence awards will be presented Aug. 1
Insight Publications will present the 2023 Women of Influence in the New North Region Awards Aug. 1 at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center in Green Bay. This year’s honorees include Sabrina Robins, Mai J. Lo Lee, Cara Gosse, Kimberly Stoeger, Nan Bush, Chelsea Kocken, Brenda Paulin and Diane Roundy. A limited number of tickets for the luncheon and ceremony remain available at insightonbusiness.com/insightevents/womenofinfluence.
InDevelopment coming to Oshkosh Sept. 7
Insight’s annual commercial development conference will take place Sept. 7 from 2-7 p.m. at the Oshkosh Convention Center. The event will include extensive networking time, a developer briefing and panel discussion, and keynote remarks from urban planning and geospatial design specialist Nik Davis, who played a pivotal role in Oshkosh’s downtown area development plan. Registration is open now at insightonbusiness.com/insightevents/indevelopment.
Women in Manufacturing SUMMIT is Sept. 25-27
Women in Manufacturing will present its annual summit in San Diego, along with a virtual option, Sept. 25-27. The three-day conference will include keynotes, breakout sessions, an exhibition hall and opportunities for in-person attendees to tour plants including BAE Systems, CP Kelco, General Dynamics NASSCO, Sherwin Williams, Scotts Miracle Gro and Taylor Guitars. For more information on SUMMIT 2023, visit womeninmanufacturing.org.
WMC Business Day is Oct. 19
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce will present its annual Business Day event Oct. 19 from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison. Bassett Mechanical President and CEO Kim Bassett and Amcor Flexibles President Fred Stephan will be among the members of this year’s executive economic panel. The day will also include a keynote address by memoirist and motivational speaker Liz Murray of “Homeless to Harvard” fame and an economic briefing from Austan Goolsbee, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of America. Learn more at wmc.org/events/businessdayinmadison/.
