Officials Celebrate Construction Start for Technologically Advanced Cargo Trailer Manufacturing Facility
BRISTOL, Ind. (PRWEB) November 24, 2015 -- Monday Universal Trailer Corporation officially marked the start of construction of an entirely new, 200,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing plant with a celebration involving public and private officials involved in the project.
Last Spring UTC decided to locate the plant in Elkhart County, Indiana, where it has other manufacturing facilities. Various sites around the country had been bidding for the project. Universal Trailer operates a number of plants nationwide.
“A project of this size and scope attracts attention and reflects our commitment to the trailer industry,” said Terry Carlson, CEO of Universal Trailer Corp. “We were heavily recruited by other states to relocate our new facility. In the end, it was the quality and dedication of the Elkhart County workforce that was the overarching reason to stay and build our new plant right here in Bristol.”
What is unique about this construction is that “it will feature advanced manufacturing techniques not currently used in the cargo trailer industry and will greatly improve our quality, output and working environment for our employees,” said Richard Pfleging, Vice President of Manufacturing – East, Universal Trailer Cargo Group, Inc. “We are basically investing in a new manufacturing model. This is a big step in bringing a more efficient solution to cargo trailer manufacturing. It will greatly improve our service capabilities and product offering to our dealer network and end-users.”
The facility is going up on a 43-acre site adjacent to the Indiana Toll Road (I-80 I-90). The site is being developed for drainage and other necessities that would allow for another 200,000 square feet of expansion in the near future. Pfleging said UTC’s current success and growth trajectory has given it confidence that the timing is right for this kind of investment to succeed and to spur even more growth in terms of additional construction.
“While the economy has gotten better, there hasn’t been much from-the-ground-up plant construction of this size and scale of investment in our industry,” said Pfleging. “But the Universal team has made this happen and we’re going to continue to make it happen in a way no one has seen before.”
About Universal Trailer Corporation
Universal Trailer Corporation is a leading trailer manufacturer in the United States, with pre-eminent brand names, a national manufacturing footprint, and an extensive North American trailer dealer network. The company manufactures for the enclosed cargo, horse, livestock, motorsports, snowmobile, ATV, motorcycle, utility, vending and custom specialty trailer categories. The company markets through a network of over 1,000 dealers under internationally recognized brands such as Featherlite, Exiss, Sooner, Haulmark, Haulmark Motorcoach and Wells Cargo. The corporate office is located in Fort Myers, Florida.
Scott Samuels, Universal Trailer Cargo Group, http://www.universaltrailer.com/, +1 574-612-6434, [email protected]
Share this article