CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., July 28, 2011 – Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company, the industry’s largest manufacturer of refrigerated trailers and a leading manufacturer of dry freight vans, flatbeds, and Tautliner® curtainsided trailers is pleased to announce that Utility’s dry van manufacturing plant’s assembly line is in full production after a tornado struck last April in Glade Spring, Virginia.
After the tornado struck, Utility’s Glade Spring plant employees were transferred to Utility’s nearby Marion, Virginia refrigerated trailer plant and some helped the community with cleanup and recovery. A few Glade Spring plant workers elected to remain at the Marion facility because of their closer commute.
“Our workforce and managers have done a great job in working through the damage and the dislocation that was caused by the tornado,” said Jack Washburn, Utility’s Glade Spring Plant Manager. “The resilience and fortitude of our workers contributed to a successful full recovery and we are now back on the assembly line in full production with even more trailer orders than before the tornado damaged our facility.”
Utility has rehired all employees and is currently hiring additional staff to meet the demands of higher production levels. The Glade Spring plant is one of Utility’s five trailer manufacturing facilities across the United States. The Glade Spring plant manufactures Utility’s 4000D™ and the 4000D-X Composite™ dry vans trailers. “Jack Washburn and all of our Glade Spring employees have done an astounding job with recovery efforts to get us back to pre-tornado production levels and prepare us for meeting the demands of even more trailer orders that we’ve recently received,” said Craig Bennett, Utility’s Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing. In addition to the initial purchase of 1,044 4000D-X Composite™ dry vans trailers, Ryder Systems, Inc. has increased their order by 220 additional trailers that will be manufactured in the Glade Spring plant. The plant has been in full production as of mid-June.
About Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company
Utility Trailer Manufacturing is America’s oldest privately owned, family-operated trailer manufacturer. Founded in 1914, the company designs and manufactures dry freight vans, flatbeds, refrigerated vans, Tautliner® curtainsided trailers, and side skirts. Utility currently operates five trailer manufacturing facilities across the United States. Utility’s 3000R® and the 3000R® multi-temp refrigerated trailers are manufactured at the Marion, Virginia and Clearfield, Utah plants. The 4000D® and 4000D-X Composite™ dry vans are manufactured at the Glade Spring, Virginia and Paragould, Arkansas plants. The 4000A®, 4000S®, drop deck and double flatbeds as well as the Tautliner® are all manufactured at the Enterprise, Alabama facility. Utility also has an extensive independent dealer network with over 100 locations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and South America.