Volvo opens Shippensburg plant

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has cut the ribbon on its $100 million expansion program at its Shippensburg, Pa. facility. In addition to the official opening of a new headquarters building for the Americas, the event also marked the start of wheel loader production at the company’s North American base in Shippensburg.

 The opening also marks the relocation of the Volvo CE’s sales office from Asheville, N.C., to Shippensburg. As part of the same investment, Volvo CE will also open a customer center in the area in the first quarter of 2014.

 Wheel loader production will initially start for the L60-L90 range of loaders. “These machines are in high demand in North America. It’s easier to start up production of smaller machines and work our way up,” said Sean Glennon, vice president of operations at the Shippensburg facility. “The investment we make in these smaller models will allow us to eventually launch into the bigger machines and meet a wider scope of customer needs.”

 The new Americas headquarters serves both the North and Latin American business of Volvo Construction Equipment. Additionally, the site’s global technology center employs around 200 people and provides development expertise to the wider Volvo business.

 The office expansion, which opened in March, adds an additional 36,000 sq. ft. and two smaller production buildings, which open in April this year, will provide a further 37,000 sq. ft., bringing the total size of the expanded facility to 650,000 sq. ft.

 In addition to wheel loaders, the Shippensburg facility also makes more than 50 models of road machinery, including soil and asphalt compactors, motor graders, pavers, screeds, and milling machines. Operations include welding, large machining, paint and assembly. (Source: Diesel Progress Online)