Wabash National consolidates manufacturing facilities
Transcraft will consolidate production of all product lines from two production facilities to one in Cadiz, which will also serve as its corporate headquarters. The Cadiz manufacturing plant is a modern, purpose-built facility that currently produces all of Transcraft’s aluminum platform and dump product lines, the company said.
The Trucker News Services
11/4/2009
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Trailer manufacturer Transcraft Corp. has agreed on the terms of a sale of its Anna, Ill., production facility and will consolidate its operations into its Cadiz, Kentucky facility, parent company Wabash National Corp. announced Oct. 27.
Platform production at the Anna facility will cease sometime in the first half of 2010, at which time the new production lines at the Cadiz, Ky., production facility will be fully operational.
“These types of decisions are always difficult to make, especially when it affects associates, but due to the current economic climate we are faced with the need to further right size our operating footprint and reduce our cost structure,” said Terry Campbell, Transcraft general manager. “We expect this to be a seamless transition in production due to utilization of excess manufacturing equipment, which should have no impact to our customers.”
Transcraft plans to sell the facility to local business owner Rusty Flamm. Flamm is the owner of Rusty’s Home Center, a lumberyard and home center business with locations in Anna and Vienna, Ill.
“My current plans are to expand my business and hopefully bring new business to this area,” said Flamm.
Transcraft will consolidate production of all product lines from two production facilities to one in Cadiz, which will also serve as its corporate headquarters. The Cadiz manufacturing plant is a modern, purpose-built facility that currently produces all of Transcraft’s aluminum platform and dump product lines, the company said.
“This will complete the consolidation process of the company’s platform business, which began in October 2007 with the closure of the Mt. Sterling, Ky., plant,” said Wabash National President and CEO Dick Giromini. “Similar to our Lafayette Transformation Project completed earlier this year, this consolidation initiative continues the optimization of our production facilities and overhead cost structure that we have been focused on throughout the current economic climate.”
Headquartered in Lafayette, Ind., Wabash National Corp. specializes in the design and production of dry freight vans, refrigerated vans, flatbed trailers, drop deck trailers, dump trailers, truck bodies and intermodal equipment. Its innovative core products are sold under the DuraPlate, ArcticLite, FreightPro, Eagle and Benson brand names. The company operates two wholly owned subsidiaries: Transcraft Corp., a manufacturer of flatbed, drop deck, dump trailers and truck bodies; and Wabash National Trailer Centers, trailer service centers and retail distributors of new and used trailers and aftermarket parts throughout the U.S.
Dorothy Cox of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at dlcox@thetrucker.com.
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