More than 600 associates of KOHLER Power Systems recently turned out for the ribbon cutting ceremony on the completion of a 105,000-square-foot addition to the company’s generator manufacturing plant in the Town of Mosel, north of Sheboygan, WI.
Herb Kohler, chairman and CEO of Kohler Co., opened the event by thanking Kohler associates for their hard work and perseverance during the project. He said associates faced a variety of challenges due to extended cold weather last winter but responded with a commitment to their work. Today, KOHLER Power Systems is one of the larger generator manufacturers in the world.
President and COO David Kohler talked about the growth of the company’s power generation business in all major markets. Kohler’s distribution channel of 800 locations throughout the world provides total system integration including design, production, installation and after-sale support to industrial, business, construction, marine and residential customers.
“We are driving our growth through a focus on quality, innovation and service, and that success is allowing us to invest in our Wisconsin operations,” David Kohler said. He added that the company is fortunate to have a strong and experienced workforce, with more than half of the facility’s 700 associates members of the company’s quarter century club.
The extra square footage at the plant expands storage for product parts and related materials and increases production capacity with an additional 140 tons of crane capacity to enable easier loading of large generators after production for transport. These megawatt generators provide critical backup power for industrial operations, water system plants, data centers, hospitals, and other critical facilities. With the added space, the building including production and office space totals nearly a half million square feet.
Additional associates are being hired at both the Mosel plant and the company’s other generator manufacturing plant in Saukville, WI, as part of this production expansion, with a projected increase of 300 workers within the next few years.
The Mosel plant will now focus on industrial and light commercial generators for a range of business applications, including hospitals, data centers, water treatment plants, cell phone towers, and small businesses like restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores.
The Saukville plant is also in the midst of a reconfiguration of its production lines and, when complete later this year, will focus exclusively on making the company’s 8- to 20-kilowatt home standby generators. The residential power market has grown exponentially in recent years as the frequency of power outages has increased due to severe weather and an aging power grid.
