Evansville hitching optimism to Stoughton Trailers
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Stoughton Trailers in Evansville
EVANSVILLE — Word that Stoughton Trailers might soon reopen its Evansville plant is spreading optimism among city officials eager to see business at the corner of Highway 14 and County M.
"The facility's been closed for four years," Mayor Sandy Decker said. "It'd be just great to get it open again and see business picking up."
The real estate sign has come down, and workers are in the 350,000-square-foot plant preparing equipment to start up—if and when signed contracts arrive, said Keith Wise, public relations manager.
"Nothing's for sure right now, and that's the problem," he said. "There's rumbling, but we don't have an order."
The plant closed quickly in 2007 because business went to China. Ken Wahlin, managing director of parent company STI Holdings, told the Wisconsin State Journal that Chinese manufacturers did not meet expectations of some of their U.S. customers.
"There's obviously some opportunities we're exploring, trying to bring some work to that factory," Wise said.
The company could add 50 to 100 people in Stoughton, 150 in Brodhead and up to 300 in Evansville, "if all goes well," Wahlin told the State Journal.
More than 400 people used to make containers to transport goods by rail car and chassis for semitrailers at the Evansville plant.
"Whether we're talking about vans, containers and chassis, there's a lot of pent-up demand," Wise said, "and we still don't know what this means. Are people finally replacing equipment because they have to or is there something else shaking there?"
Stoughton Trailers last month held a job fair at the Rock County Job Center seeking workers for its Brodhead plant, which reopened in November, and its Stoughton plant, where a second shift was added in October.
Production has been increasing minimally but steadily the last six months and the company is still seeking applications for its Stoughton and Brodhead plants, Wise said.
The Evansville Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism has maintained a "very good" relationship with Stoughton Trailers, said John Morning, chamber president.
Reopening the plant would be great for the city, county and region, he said, because it means more jobs and more people spending money locally.
Decker noted how quickly the plant closed because of foreign competition.
"It's great if we can get manufacturing in the United States," she said. "We need to turn the tide on that."
The plant is about 350,000 square feet, she said, and conversations the city had with others interested in the space found they were only seeking about 50,000 square feet.
"There aren't that many companies that utilize that much space," she said.
Feb 5, 2011 at 8:03 a.m.
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Grandys618- I totally agree.
mentor- Do share why you thought the products were faulty. Stoughton trailers are known among truckers as some of the best in the biz. Every bolt and rivet is checked before a trailer goes off the line. I mean EVERY bolt and rivet, and there's hundreds on one of those things. Please tell, I'd like to be enlightened.
Feb 5, 2011 at 7:58 a.m.
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Weird, metromilton-the aricle says they closed because business went to china and the chinese product did not meet standards.
And you're right, concernedvoice. Absolutely right. No one should go for a job there because they are afraid of temporary layoffs. They should wait until UC runs out and lose everything. That's a much better plan.
Feb 4, 2011 at 12:24 p.m.
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I would approach any jobs with them very carefully. Even when they were open in Evansville it seemed like they would work for a few months, and then lay off and then repeat that type of pattern.
It would be nice to see them open and working year round.
Some one said this morning they have had a hard time getting enough applicants for Stoughton and Brodhead seems strange with the economy the way it is.
Hopefully it all works out.
Feb 4, 2011 at 5:02 a.m.
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I can believe products from China didn't meet standards. I can't believe products from Stoughton Trailers ever DID.
Feb 4, 2011 at 12:28 a.m.
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On the nose exactly Metromilton.
Since eville could only build one order at a time, they got behind when sales would promise another company so many units built by such and such date. Problem was we were still working on the PREVIOUS order and didnt get started on the next order until after it was due.
Feb 3, 2011 at 10:49 p.m.
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The Chinese do not make the SAME product that Stoughton did in Evill. The Evill made product was DOMESTIC shipping containers used by railroads such as Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. These were for domestic use only, not ocean going as the China made units are. The ocean containers are made to entirely different standards and sizes.
The main issue why production stopped was lack or of orders by the railroads. The economy was tanking, and shipping was on the decline. Excess shipping capacity only made the situation worse. Now that shipping is starting to recover, the need for replacement units is starting again.
Feb 3, 2011 at 10:15 p.m.
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Wow, Chinese companies did not meet standards? Now there's a shocker..
When did they start to catch on.. after the millionth contaminated baby formula story, the lead laced kid's toys, or the environmental nightmare disclosures?
Feb 3, 2011 at 4:49 p.m.
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STI Holdings, told the Wisconsin State Journal that Chinese manufacturers did not meet expectations of some of their U.S. customers.
American company's need to wake up. If Donald Trump runs for President, and I hope he does, American company's might have to pay import taxes if they want access to American markets.
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