Wacker Neuson is building a production line for skid-steer and compact track loaders at its Menomonee Falls, Wis., facility. The Munich-based company expects to go live during the first quarter of 2015, initially manufacturing four models.
Wacker Neuson CEO Ceg Peksaglam said with the largest market for skid-steer loaders being in North America it made sense to move manufacturing there.
“Our strategy is ‘in the region for the region,’” Peksaglam said. “So it makes sense for us to build skid-steer loaders in the region where demand is strongest – North America. “We unveiled four loader models tailored to the needs of the North American market at the start of the year and received positive feedback from dealers and customers alike. Producing these products in North America will speed up time-to-market and enable us to adapt these high-quality, powerful machines more rapidly to the specific customer requirements of this core market.”
“The new skid-steer loader series rounds off our portfolio of compact machines in North America, making us an even more attractive partner for dealers ” added Christopher Barnard, regional president of Wacker Neuson in North America.
The four models will initially only be distributed via the U.S. and Canadian dealer networks. The skid-steer loaders SW24 and SW28 with payloads of 2,400 and 2,800 pounds respectively (about 1.1 and 1.4 tons), will be produced, as well as compact track loaders ST35 and ST45 with payloads of 3,500 and 4,500 pounds respectively. A local development team is working on further models to broaden the line.
Previously, Wacker Neuson produced skid-steer loaders at its Hörsching, Austria, site, which will change to dumper and excavator production.
“Demand for our dumpers and excavators is growing worldwide,” added Peksaglam. “We will be using the free capacity at Hörsching from 2015 on to expand our dumper and excavator production capabilities. There will be no layoffs at the site.”
