The event was attended by local and state public officials, company executives and personnel and members of the local media. It marked the revealing of a 30 million USD investment to expand the company’s assembly capabilities to meet anticipated demand in the North American market.
The campus broke ground on the 200,000 square foot, 30 million USD expansion of the facility just over a year ago. The expansion includes a materials service center and an assembly hall, designed to improve manufacturing flow and increase production space to incorporate the production of Volvo motor graders. The design and construction of the new facility is built on the Volvo core values of quality, safety, and environmental care and the company is seeking recognition as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified green building.
The expansion of the plant and its manufacturing capabilities was made possible in part by a 1 million USD Opportunity Grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development.
Jim Thompson, President, Operations Americas and the plant’s general manager, paid tribute to the individuals and organizations that helped make the expansion of the manufacturing complex possible. He thanked the local government agencies for their ongoing support of the company’s Shippensburg construction equipment operation.
“It is a testament to the importance Volvo CE places on our dealers and customers in the North American market that, despite the extremely poor market conditions which have persisted for several years in North America, and recently in many other parts of the world, the commitment to this investment has never been in doubt” said Pat Olney, Executive Vice President, Global Operations, who attended the inauguration. He added “Volvo remains as committed today as ever to invest the resources – money, people and know how – in developing the Shippensburg facility for the future.”
In Shippensburg, Volvo CE has around 550 employees and manufactures over 60 different models of asphalt pavers, soil and asphalt compactors, milling machines and motor graders. The factory was acquired in April 2007 as part of the road development division of Ingersoll Rand. Today it has become an important member of the worldwide Volvo Construction Equipment manufacturing complex, spread across four continents.