October 16, 2007 • Manitowoc's crane division has broken ground on a new 50,000-square-foot addition and expansion project at its crawler crane assembly facility in Manitowoc, Wis.
The addition is part of a $25 million renovation and modernization investment that the company is making in its Wisconsin-based manufacturing facilities. Manitowoc previously announced plans to expand its Port Washington, Wis., fabrication facility in late August.
Larry Weyers, executive vice president of the crane division's Americas region, said the expansion is not only a sign of the strength of the crawler crane market worldwide, but also reinforces Manitowoc's commitment to quality and innovation.
“The renovations will not only help us meet a growing demand for crawler cranes,” he said. “But it will also support future product development efforts.”
The Manitowoc facility expansion includes three new buildings and significant capital equipment expenditures. One of the new facilities is a 20,000-square-foot building that will be used for assembling Manitowoc's larger crawler models, the Model 18000 and Model 21000. There is also a 33,000-square-foot final assembly and paint addition. In this area, Manitowoc will add a paint booth and oven, a reassembly area, and two additional loading bays. The final building addition is an employee services area, which will include locker rooms, a lunch room and tool room.
Manitowoc will also invest in capital equipment, to include a burn table, a large machining center, various tooling and fixtures, a small parts paint booth and a large boring bar.
Steve Brahm, vice president of operations for Manitowoc's crane division, said the expansion projects are part of an ongoing re-investment strategy.
“The Manitowoc Company, our parent company, has continued to financially support crane manufacturing globally,” he said. “In addition to facility improvements, we've also been able to add nearly 300 new manufacturing jobs within the last two years in the U.S. alone.”
