The company, based in Fort Worth, Texas, opened a factory in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2010 to increase crane building capacity and a panel shop in Pewaukee, Wisconsin two years’ ago.
The Clinton factory will eventually replace the Knoxville site, manufacturing larger cranes and increase annual production.
“We will primarily be focused on the fabrication of the bridge and the full assembly of the overhead cranes, including completion of the factory acceptance test with the customer before shipment. It will not change what happens in Fort Worth. We have ruled out expansion of other existing facilities at this time,” said Kevin Beavers, executive VP, Ace.
Relocation to Clinton is expected to result in a doubling of the company’s workforce. Currently, 50 people work in Fort Worth and eight at the satellite facility in Pewaukee.
Steel mills and the aerospace sector will be the primary drivers of business, although Ace remains active in heavy-duty marketplaces.
“This is an exciting new dawn for the company. We, like many others, have been negatively impacted by the pandemic but RFQs [request for quotations] are picking up and enhanced manufacturing capacity will help us respond to that demand with world-class production capability and reduced lead times,” added Beavers.
