JLG expands manufacturing footprint

JLG Industries, Inc. a global manufacturer of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) and telehandlers and part of the Oshkosh Corp. group of companies, has announced an expansion of its manufacturing footprint into Jefferson City, Tenn. The new 60,000 sq. ft. space, which is being leased from the Oshkosh Defense segment, along with the addition of new lines at the company’s Bedford and McConnellsburg, Pa.-based plants, and its Leon, Mexico, manufacturing facility, is intended to support the increased production of boom lifts and scissor lifts, as well as both JLG and SkyTrak telehandlers.

As part of a significant manufacturing expansion, JLG has begun production at a 60,000 sq. ft. space in Jefferson City, Tenn., that is being leased from sister Oshkosh Corp. company Oshkosh Defense. (Photo: JLG)

The new Tennessee facility and the additional manufacturing lines in Pennsylvania and Mexico are operational and in the process of ramping up to full capacity.

“We have been pursuing a number of initiatives to establish a more agile and stable business model to support long-term, sustainable growth,” said Frank Nerenhausen, executive vice president Oshkosh Corp. and president JLG Industries. “The investment in additional manufacturing space and technology-rich manufacturing lines is indicative of our commitment to supporting customer needs in today’s dynamic marketplace.”

Heading into 2022 with a record $3.6 billion in backlog, combined with unprecedented inflationary pressures, labor constraints and supply chain disruptions has led JLG to think differently about its manufacturing facilities and processes,” Nerenhausen said.

“JLG is leaning in, looking at everything from how to optimize digital twins during the design/engineering process, to regionalizing supply chains, to additive manufacturing, to the autonomous and semi-autonomous solutions required to assist a now five-generation workforce and reduce the load/gap caused by labor shortages,” he said. “Expanding and integrating new state-of-the-art technologies into our plants will allow us to optimize operational capacity to better absorb peaks in demand, while improving worker safety and flow management.

“We are investing in the connected and autonomous solutions that will make it easier to do business with us.”

The company said that digitization has enabled automation and machine learning from the earliest stages of design through the manufacturing and field use of products. JLG foresees that customers will eventually be able to track a machine from its order stage through the end of its lifecycle, enabling a greater depth of insight into each unit’s true utilization and ROI.

“We are driven to provide the most holistic and transparent customer experience possible to enhance customer satisfaction and improve the value stream of JLG products well into the future,” Nerenhausen said.