22.02.2022

Manitou to invest $80 million in US

Manitou has announced plans for a €70 million ($80 million) investment in its two North American manufacturing facilities in Yankton, South Dakota, where it manufactures telehandlers and articulated wheeled loaders and Madison, South Dakota, where it builds skid steer loaders.
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The Manitou Yankton plant

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The Yankton facility

The funds will be spent on the physical expansion and modernisation of both sites along with the development of new product ranges - all part of helping meet the group’s mid term growth plans. It is also a reaction to the high levels of order intake, resulting in a €3 billion order book.

The Yangton facility currently covers 18,500 square metres of production space and will have a 6,000 square metre extension. The Madison plant - which currently covers 30,000 square metres - will have a 7,500 square metre addition. The equipment at both facilities will be upgraded with new mechanical welding and assembly, along with new welding robots and laser cutting machines. Alongside this Manitou will hire around 50 new people at each site between now and the end of next year, including welders, assemblers, maintenance technicians and purchasing staff.
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The Manitou Madison plant

The factory expansions and upgrades are expected to cost in the region of €50 million ($57 million), leaving €20 million ($23 million) to spend on research and development projects, including the acceleration of product line renewal programmes, along with new all-electric telehandlers and compact loaders. The projects are due to get underway during the second quarter.

Elisabeth Ausimour, president of Manitou’s Product division said: “We have an extremely promising outlook on our markets, which entirely substantiates these investments. These new developments will enable us to absorb peaks in demand, permanently increase our production capacities and increase the safety of our workers, in particular by optimising flow management. Consequently, we expect to increase our output on these sites by more than 150 percent by 2026. These projects also fall within our low-carbon transition, through the development of new electric ranges.”

Franck Buisard managing director of Manitou Equipment America added: “This massive investment is a clear indication of the group’s ambition in North America, where there exists considerable market potential. The R&D teams are particularly excited about working on these highly strategic projects, aligned with the priorities in our CSR roadmap.”

The funds referred to above are already included in the group’s €460 million global investment programme, a key part of its ‘New Horizons 2025’ strategic plan which is set to continue through until 2026.

The following video summarises the investment plans