CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., April 5, 2006 — Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company, a leading manufacturer of reefers, dry vans, flatbeds, and Tautliner curtainsided trailers, is pleased to announce that its Marion Virginia reefer plant expansion is ready to meet the growing demand for its market leading 3000R reefer.
Encompassing 90,000 square feet and incorporating seven additional acres of land, the Marion plant now totals 487,000 square feet dedicated to reefer production. Adding a fourth Utility-proprietary foam mandrel, the $18 million expansion incorporates Utility’s “Moving Assembly Lines”, which results in an improved work flow while enabling a friendly work environment. For ten years running, the Utility 3000R has been the market leader in reefers. The plant enlargement will double the capacity of the reefer plant by the year 2007, enabling Utility to extend its leadership position. The expansion is expected to add 150 new jobs.
“Utility embraces the values and vision laid forth by our founders in 1914”, stated Hal Bennett, President Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company. “Those values guide how we conduct our business each day. Most important in those values are loyalty to our employees and their families, to our customers and our vendors and specifically to the State of Virginia, Smythe County and the City of Marion who have supported us for many years. Deciding to expand here was the right thing to do.”
Through the years, Utility Trailer has built a reputation for innovative designs and a resolute commitment to quality, from the market-leading 3000R refrigerated trailers manufactured in the Smyth County facility to the innovative thin wall 4000D-X dry van. This penchant for innovation and quality continues today as the company looks to the future in the State of Virgina.
In addition to the Marion facility, Utility also maintains a dry van manufacturing facility in Washington County that employs 250 people. This facility manufactures both the thin wall 4000D-X dry vans and the 3000D dry vans