Alliance Laundry Systems Purchases Former Manitowoc Crane Facility

The action will help increase production at Ripon, Wis. plant

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Aug 06, 2019, 12:11 ET

RIPON, Wis., Aug. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliance Laundry Systems, the global leader in commercial laundry equipment, has closed on its purchase of the former Manitowoc Crane Company plant in Manitowoc, Wis.

The more than 330,000-square-foot Manitowoc location will be used to help grow production at the Ripon facility. Like many companies, Alliance has battled to fill openings amid a tight labor market and a particularly competitive Fox Valley area. In addition, the move will create up to 250 positions, helping boost the Manitowoc economy and re-open the now-shuttered plant.

"Today marks an exciting new chapter in our company's 111-year history," said Mike Schoeb, CEO of Alliance Laundry Systems. "By shifting some functions to the new facility, we will be able to grow high value production locally and increase the output of this factory with additional job creation in both communities. This truly is a win for Ripon, Manitowoc and Alliance Laundry Systems."

Plans call for work to begin in Manitowoc in early September. The move is not intended to reduce positions in Ripon, as staff will be redeployed elsewhere in the facility.

"Despite expansions through the years, our Ripon plant is capped out and struggles to remain fully staffed up. This means excessive overtime and a poor work-life balance for employees," said Brad Nye, vice president of manufacturing for Alliance Laundry Systems.

"As we anticipate significant increased demand for the high-quality Ripon products, we had to find a way to drive efficiency, increase production and maintain our commitment to our team members along with the Ripon community," Nye added. "We needed to do this against the backdrop of achieving 2025 goals. This plan is a critical component that enables us to unlock the potential of the Ripon plant – growing jobs and production toward our vision of creating a world-class manufacturing facility that fully leverages technology by 2025."

Alliance will begin hiring for the Manitowoc facility immediately and all jobs will be United Steel Workers positions with pay and benefits aligned with the Ripon location.

"We are excited to welcome Alliance Laundry Systems to our area after months of negotiations to facilitate the successful purchase of the former Manitowoc Crane building, said Peter Wills, executive director of Progress Lakeshore, which helped Alliance with negotiations. "The purchase of this property by a large industrial manufacturer is significant in moving the community forward after the loss of a major employer in 2016."

Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels said the arrival of Alliance Laundry Systems is positive news for his community and Manitowoc County as a whole.

"Today, we can see our always resilient community step back up thanks to Alliance's announcement to occupy a large Manitowoc company facility and bring many good-paying jobs back to Manitowoc. Most important, we are thrilled that Alliance is dedicated to giving back to their communities," Nickels said.

For more information about Alliance Laundry Systems, visit alliancelaundry.com. To apply for a position at Alliance, visit https://alliancelaundry.com/en-us/careers.

Fast Facts

Former Manitowoc Crane Co. facility is more than 330,000 square feet (roughly 80,000 square feet will be occupied immediately this year)
Nearly $30 million project, which will also include upgrades to the Ripon facility to drive toward 2025 production goals (continuing the company's double-digit growth track) and transition into a highly efficient world-class manufacturing plant
Alliance Laundry Systems will create up to 250 new union jobs in Manitowoc
No planned job reductions at Ripon facility; impacted staff will be reassigned to other production areas
Manitowoc facility tentatively planned to come online by early September, with subassembly production; plastics likely will be added the following year
Parts will be transported to Ripon to drive increased production
The measure will power efficiency by unlocking Ripon's potential and help increase production to meet rising demand for the company's world-leading products
The move builds on the more than $87 million investment in Ripon since 2012, continuing the transformation of Ripon into a world-class manufacturing facility
Helps alleviate overtime volume in Ripon, creating a better work-life balance for production employees

About Alliance Laundry Systems

Leading Performance

Alliance Laundry Systems makes the world cleaner as the premier provider of laundry solutions. We deliver Leading performance through our exceptional employees, unmatched quality and our commitment to innovation. Alliance leads the world in commercial laundry sales, product range, reach and R&D investment. No competitor comes close. Our laundry solutions are available under five respected brands, sold and supported by a global network of select distributors. We serve more than 140 countries with a team of more than 2,900 employees. Our brands include Speed Queen®, UniMac®, Huebsch®, Primus® and IPSO®. Together they present a full line of commercial washing machines, dryers and ironers (with load capacities from 12–400 lb., or 6–180 kg.) and every essential support service necessary to keep your operation running at maximum efficiency. You can also enjoy the superior wash and fabric care of commercial-grade laundry equipment in your home through our legendary Speed Queen® washers and dryers. At Alliance, we aim to bring you laundry peace of mind with an award-winning customer experience that's unrivaled in our industry.

For more information, visit www.alliancelaundry.com.

SOURCE Alliance Laundry Systems LLC