JLG to close three facilities

26 January 2017

JLG Industries, Inc. announced it is closing its Orville, OH manufacturing plant, Maasmechelen, Belgium manufacturing and Pre-Delivery Inspection facility, and its engineering center in Bruntingthorpe, UK. The closures will affect up to 525 employees.

“As part of our simplification strategy, we have evaluated our global manufacturing footprint and product offering to ensure our operations and product portfolio continue to remain competitive and meet current and future market demands,” said Frank Nerenhausen, Oshkosh executive vice president and president access division. “These planned actions allow us to improve performance to maintain our position as an access equipment leader around the globe.”

The telehandler production from the Orrville, OH plant will be moved to JLG's Pennsylvania facility, which will then be the main source of all North American telehandler manufacturing. JLG said the current JLG telehandler offering in North America will remain unchanged and engineering services in Orrville will continue normal operations.

As a result of the closing of its production facility in Maasmechelen, Belgium along with its engineering centre in Bruntingthorpe, UK, JLG's telehandler product offerings will be reduced in EMEA.

The company said the intent is to continue producing a limited range of telehandlers for the region at its Medias, Romania plant. Discontinued models will continue to be supported by JLG’s aftermarket division for a minimum of 10 years.

Pre-Delivery Inspection at the Maasmechelen plant will be transferred to other JLG centers, while a small group of non-manufacturing employees will be retained in the Bruntingthorpe area or within Europe to support the reduced telehandler range.

JLG anticipates that the Orrville and Maasmechelen manufacturing operations would cease by September 30. The Maasmechelen PDI facility is intended to close in 12-18 months, while the Bruntingthorpe closure date will be determined once discussions with employee representatives are complete.

Full details of the changes at JLG’s European facilities will be finalized following customary discussions with the works council and employee representatives.

“These actions, although difficult, are the right ones for our business,” said Nerenhausen. “Simplifying our product portfolio and operations aligns with our long term vision and strategic direction, positioning JLG to deliver an enhanced customer experience and improved return on investment moving forward.”