Wacker Neuson to build skid steers, compact track loaders in US

The Wacker Neuson Group, headquartered in Munich, Germany, has begun building a production line for skid steer and compact track loaders at its facility in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. The facility is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2015. The company will start by initially manufacturing four models of its skid steer.

“Our strategy is “in the region for the region.” So it makes sense for us to build skid steer loaders in the region where demand is strongest – North America,” says Cem Peksaglam, CEO of Wacker Neuson SE. “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” Peksaglam adds.

“We took feedback from contractors and users in the region who regularly work with these machines, and channeled these insights into the development of our new skid steer loaders. Our dealers and customers were quickly won over by the high-quality components as well as the new, even more user-friendly cab and powerful performance capabilities of our skid steer loaders,” says Christopher Barnard, regional president of Wacker Neuson in North America. “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.”

The four models will initially only be distributed via the company’s U.S. and Canadian dealer network.
Wacker Neuson’s facility in Menomonee Falls was built in 1986 and expanded in 2012. From 2015 on, Menomonee Falls will be producing the skid steer loaders SW24 and SW28 with payloads of 2,400 and 2,800 pounds respectively, while the compact track loaders ST35 and ST45 will have payloads of 3,500 and 4,500 pounds respectively. Concurrently, a local development team is working on further models to broaden the line.
Previously, Wacker Neuson produced the skid steers at Hörsching, Austria, site.

“Demand for our dumpers and excavators is growing worldwide. We will be using the free capacity at Hörsching from 2015 on to expand our dumper and excavator production capabilities here. Thus, there will be no layoffs at the site,” adds Peksaglam. “Our current skid steer loader models for North America were jointly developed by teams in Austria and the US. So we will also have access to in-depth expertise and a wealth of experience in the development and production of skid steer loaders at the new site.”