Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) announced today plans for its Defense
Division to expand technical operations in Michigan and move into a new
leased state-of-the-art technical facility in Warren, Mich., replacing
its existing Warren office. The announcement was made at a press
conference with the Governor of Michigan and the Michigan Economic
Growth Authority (MEGA) Board which announced funding for Oshkosh and
other companies. The MEGA Board has approved a state tax credit of $6.4
million spanning 12 years for Oshkosh.
Oshkosh Defense will move current operations from its existing leased
Warren office into the new facility and plans to hire up to 190 new
employees locally. This new facility will provide advanced system
technical support and systems engineering for the Defense division’s
work on the U.S. Army medium and heavy truck fleets. Oshkosh Corporation
anticipates a capital investment in the new site of approximately $6.5
million over a five-year period.
The facility will support Oshkosh Defense’s work on the five-year Family
of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV)
rebuy contract, which the Army reaffirmed on Feb. 12 and its work on the
Army’s Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV), including the Heavy
Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT),
Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET)
and Palletized Load System (PLS).
"Expanding in Warren is the right choice for Oshkosh Defense because it
continues to help us more efficiently interface with TACOM, our military
customer, who has offices in the Detroit area in support of our work on
military programs,” said Robert G. Bohn, Oshkosh Corporation chairman
and chief executive officer. "Complete integration of our advanced
engineering, logistics, program management and configuration management
in one location in Warren will be a natural fit as we initiate service
on additional defense contracts. We’ve received the local government
support we need to facilitate moving forward with this expansion and are
excited by the capabilities within the local workforce.”
"We’re delighted Oshkosh Corporation has decided to expand its defense
operations in Michigan with a new, state-of-the-art technical facility,”
said Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. "Oshkosh Corporation is an
excellent partner in helping us diversify Michigan’s economy and create
new high-tech, good paying jobs. The new Warren facility will help
Oshkosh Defense service its government defense contracts and benefit the
men and women in our armed forces.”
The Warren facility will be located in close proximity to TACOM in the
Detroit metropolitan area to provide TACOM program and product managers
with increased access and involvement in Oshkosh Defense’s execution and
performance of their programs. This facility will be used primarily for
military programs, but could offer additional services going forward.
About Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an
industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military
trucks and armored wheeled vehicles, delivering a full product line of
conventional and hybrid vehicles, advanced armor options, proprietary
suspensions and vehicles with payloads that can exceed 70 tons. Oshkosh
Defense provides a global service and supply network including full
life-cycle support and remanufacturing, and its vehicles are recognized
the world over for superior performance, reliability and protection. For
more information, visit www.oshkoshdefense.com.
About Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Corporation is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of
a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire &
emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corp.
manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of
Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®,
Medtec®, Jerr-Dan®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles,
Frontline™, SMIT™, CON-E-CO®, London® and IMT®.
Oshkosh products are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality,
superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are
paramount. For more information, log on to www.oshkoshcorporation.com.
®, ™ All brand names referred to in this news release are
trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that the Company believes to be
"forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than
statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements
regarding the Company’s future financial position, business strategy,
targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt
levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future
operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press
release, words such as "may,” "will,” "expect,” "intend,” "estimate,”
"anticipate,” "believe,” "should,” "project” or "plan” or the negative
thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally
intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to
risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are
beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. These factors include risks related to sustaining the
required rate of production for the M-ATV contract and the amount, if
any, of additional orders for M-ATVs that the Company may receive; the
cyclical nature of the Company’s access equipment, commercial and fire &
emergency markets, especially during a global recession and tight credit
markets; the duration of the global recession, which could lead to
additional impairment charges related to many of the Company’s
intangible assets; the expected level and timing of U.S. Department of
Defense procurement of products and services and funding thereof, risks
related to reductions in government expenditures, the potential for the
government to competitively bid the Company’s Army and Marine contracts
and the uncertainty of government contracts generally; the consequences
of financial leverage associated with the JLG acquisition, which could
limit the Company’s ability to pursue various opportunities; risks
related to the collectability of receivables during a recession,
particularly for those businesses with exposure to construction markets;
risks related to production delays as a result of the economy’s impact
on the Company’s suppliers; the potential for commodity costs to rise
sharply, including in a future economic recovery; risks associated with
international operations and sales, including foreign currency
fluctuations; and the potential for increased costs relating to
compliance with changes in laws and regulations. Additional information
concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company’s filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company
assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update
information contained in this press release. Investors should be aware
that the Company may not update such information until the Company’s
next quarterly earnings conference call, if at all.
