McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing announced a $25 million expansion after investing $50 million nearly a year ago to establish a manufacturing base in Murfreesboro. (McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing)
A unit of Oshkosh Corp. that makes purpose-built commercial vehicles and equipment, McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing Inc. is expanding its Tennessee operations to better serve its global customers.
Gov. Bill Lee recently announced the $25 million investment in Rutherford County, 30 miles from Nashville, that will create 100 jobs and offer more regional opportunities for the state’s residents.
“Tennessee’s unmatched business climate and highly skilled workforce continue to make our state the ideal location for companies to expand and thrive,” Lee said.
Jim Johnson, Oshkosh executive vice president and president of its vocational segment, noted, “We look forward to growing our footprint in Murfreesboro even further with additional welding and fabrication work for our purpose-built vehicles. This investment will enable us to meet our strategic growth initiatives more effectively, serving the customers who rely on us each day.”
Johnson
The recent announcement came nearly a year after Lee and other Tennessee officials welcomed McNeilus Truck’s $50 million investment to establish manufacturing operations in Murfreesboro.
In August 2022, the company was finalizing plans to occupy the new Murfreesboro facility in a venture that would add 230 jobs to the area over the next five years. Brad Nelson, then Oshkosh Commercial’s executive vice president and president, explained that the Tennessee operations would add production capacity as part of the commercial segment’s accelerated growth strategy. Nelson now is within the company’s vocational segment after a corporate reorganization.
Nelson
“The facility,” he noted, “will provide advanced manufacturing flexibility, proximity to supply chain and the expanded workforce needed to accelerate technology and innovation, while expanding our footprint.”
Now McNeilus Truck will add the positions in its facility in Parkway Place, a new heavy-industrial area in Murfreesboro that boasts easy access to Interstate 24 and U.S. routes 41 and 231. The location also has close proximity to a 1.2 million-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center.
Minnesota-based McNeilus Truck will expand its operations for fabrication and weldment of custom vehicle components. The company is an industry leader in refuse truck bodies, OEM parts and customer support/service. Its products include front loaders, rear loaders and automated side loaders.
Chris Jones, CEO of a nonprofit cooperative utility called Middle Tennessee Electric, is current chair of the county economic development organization, Destination Rutherford. He said the McNeilus expansion is a testament to Rutherford County’s thriving economic infrastructure.
McWhorter
Stuart McWhorter, commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development, praised the company’s manufacturing growth plans in middle Tennessee.
“We are building upon that initial investment with the creation of additional new jobs in Rutherford County,” he said.
Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland remarked, “When the city was selected by Oshkosh Corp. as a location for its McNeilus business, I was certain that they would recognize Murfreesboro’s great potential and excellent business climate. The company’s decision to expand its planned facility is, therefore, not surprising. We appreciate their confidence in our community and look forward to many decades of strong working relationship with a company as well respected and productive as Oshkosh Corp.”
