Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/233760
"The expansion exemplifies how product innovation and reliability creates new jobs, as well as how effective public/private partnerships benefit our community."— Steve Jenkins, Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corp. president is expected to add on-line production capacity in the second half of 2015. The project received final internal approval after Alliance reached agreements with its United Steelworkers Local 1327 union, the city of Ripon and Fond du Lac County. "Alliance makes the most reliable and durable laundry equipment available and demand for our products keeps growing, both in the U.S. and overseas," says Mike Schoeb, Alliance Laundry president and CEO. Steve Jenkins, Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation president, says the project will have a positive ripple effect in the county. "The expansion exemplifies how product innovation and reliability creates new jobs, as well as how effective public/private partnerships benefit our community," he says. » The Northwoods Florence, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto Counties SWC expands Gillett facility, plans to hire A newly expanded Sintex-Wausaukee Composites (SWC) Gillett facility is set to be fully operational by the end of the first quarter this year following the installation of a five-axis CNC machine. This machine will give SWC increased engineering capabilities and a pattern-building tool for its mold requirements. "Our Gillett facility, which had ample space, became a perfect venue for us to increase our footprint," says Edward Trueman, SWC president and CEO. In addition to about 25 employees currently working at the facility, SWC plans to hire another 28 to 35 design and composite engineers to operate the new equipment. "It makes sense for us to take one of 14 | Insight • J a n u a r y 2 014 Marinette launches new littoral combat ship in December The Navy christened and launched its newest littoral combat ship, the USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) in a ceremony at the Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard in Marinette in December. USS Milwaukee is 388 feet long and equipped with four axial-flow water-jet engines, which will move nearly half a million gallons of seawater per minute and can propel the ship to speeds greater than 40 knots. The ship was named in honor of the largest city in the state of Wisconsin and will be the fifth to bear the city's name. The first USS Milwaukee was a double-turret ironclad river monitor built for Civil War service. The second USS Milwaukee, a St. Louis-class cruiser, was lost in 1916 while attempting to free a submarine that had run aground. The third was an Omaha-class light cruiser, which served through World War II in the Atlantic, and the fourth USS Milwaukee, a Wichita-class replenishment oiler, was decommissioned in 1994. Littoral combat ships are fast, agile surface combatants optimized for warfighting in the highly trafficked near-shore regions of the world against asymmetric "anti-access" threats. Through its design, LCS can be reconfigured for surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and mine countermeasures. This versatility enables the Navy to provide warfighters with the most capable, cost-effective solutions. "Milwaukee's christening serves as a tribute to this great American city, but also to the hard working people of Wisconsin and our nation's entire industrial base," said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. "LCS is one of our most important platforms and represents the future of the Navy." See video: Go to www.youtube.com and search "LCS 5 Milwaukee Side Launch." C O U R T E S Y o f M a r i nette M a r i ne regional roundup our facilities and invest in it to create a level of competence and performance that will help us grow our business," Trueman says. "That's good for jobs, it's good for the Northwoods area, and we're very excited about it." SWC is a manufacturer of structurally engineered plastic components for industrial markets, including medical imaging, mass transit, agriculture and defense markets. » The Lakeshore Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Sheboygan Counties Manitowoc crane employed at Dulles The Manitowoc Company Cranes Inc.'s Grove GMK7550 all-terrain crane assisted in transforming a Washington Dulles International Airport flight tower terminal into a w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m