OSHKOSH, WIS., USA (June 26, 2002) — A specialist military and heavy-duty vehicles manufacturer has announced that it will expand its UK operations by investing in its South Wales subsidiary.
Oshkosh Truck Corporation considers its Geesink Norba plant in Llantrisant to be an ideal base for further expansion in commercial and military product sales throughout Europe and plans to invest there to expand manufacturing capacity.
One of the major factors in that level of investment is the company’s defence business growth. Both the investment and the jobs created will increase dramatically if Oshkosh wins a bid it submitted this week (25 June) for one of the largest MoD contracts to be tendered in recent years – the supply of approximately 8,500 support vehicles for the British Army over the next 10 years.
The company has confirmed it will undertake much of the chassis manufacturing at the Geesink Norba plant, which currently finishes refuse vehicle bodies for the UK market, increasing the workforce by as much as 200 over its current 128.
Oshkosh Truck Corporation designs and manufactures a range of specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies for worldwide defence, emergency, refuse and construction markets. It is one of the world’s leading defence vehicle manufacturers. The company makes all of the heavy-payload trucks used by the US Army, which have been the backbone of its military operations in the Gulf, Bosnia and Afghanistan. Oshkosh is also manufacturing up to 8,100 medium-payload, high-mobility trucks for the US Marine Corps.
It has substantial interests in the UK, and recently won an MoD contract to supply 92 tank transporters. It is also awaiting the outcome of a second bid for the manufacture of 437 refueling tankers. A decision is expected in August.
The company’s President of Defense John Stoddart said Oshkosh was committed to the long-term development of Geesink Norba.
“The investment we intend to make in our Llantrisant operation will ensure it is a key part of our Western European expansion strategy,” he said.
“We are confident that we have submitted a very competitive proposal for the MoD support vehicles programme, and if we are successful, Llantrisant will have an even more pivotal role in our company, taking the level of investment and the jobs we will be creating there significantly upwards.
“We have begun extremely helpful discussions with the National Assembly, the Welsh Development Agency, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and TUC Cymru about our plans, and look forward to working with these organisations in their implementation.”
Notes to editors
Founded in 1917, Oshkosh (http://www.oshkoshtruck.com/) is a $1.8bon turnover Fortune 1000 company based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and has manufacturing operations in the US, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden and Mexico. Oshkosh is considered to be one of the 400 Best Big Companies in America by Forbes.
It wholly owns the European conglomerate, Geesink Norba Group (http://www.geesink.nl), a leading manufacturer of waste collection and transfer systems, including refuse collection vehicles, demountable systems, waste compactors and transfer stations.
For further information contact
Kirsten Skyba
Vice President – Communications, Oshkosh Truck Corporation
+1 920 233 9621
[email protected]
Warren Carr
Quadrant
029 2023 7333
07764 68 65 76
