Insight on Manufacturing

PLANT|NEWS cont. find a buyer for it. The Kewaunee plant houses one of the state's three nuclear reactors. The closure will put more than 600 people out of work. The Virginia-based company says EVENT|NEWS NEW NORTH SUMMIT PLANNED DEC. 7 AT APPLETON RADISSON low natural gas prices were a key factor in closing the plant. The company's agreements to sell power generated by Kewaunee to two Wisconsin utilities expire next year, and those utilities did not want to keep buying it. Dominion bought the reactor in 2005. Once the plant stops producing energy, the decommissioning process will begin. MASTERS GALLERY FOODS PLANS EXPANSION Masters Gallery Foods has announced expansion plans that would nearly double the size of the cheese processor' by Gov. Scott Walker. T production and distribution facility in Plymouth. The move also has the possibility of creating up to 50 new jobs. The proposed project would cost s Also shared at the summit will be the results of both the Northeast Economic Survey by First Business Bank, which had previously been presented at a separate event, and the NEW Manufacturing Alliance Vitality Index. Other breakout sessions include information on Fast Forward 1.0, a program to find and accelerate fast-growth entrepreneurs in the region; best practices in sustainability; expanding export opportunities; and collaboration between business and education. The event is bringing back the popular Taste of New North, a lunch event during which culinary entrepreneurs and restaurateurs set up their wares. The event is for anyone involved in regional growth and economic development, such as small business owners, education professionals, manufacturing company executives and government and chamber of commerce leaders. Insight Publications, which produces the New North Report to the Community, is one of the sponsors. More than 800 people attended last year and at least as many are expected this year. For more information including sponsorship opportunities, call Ann Duginske at (920) 336-3860 or email NewNorth@thenewnorth.com. F up to $12 million and would involve building a distribution and warehouse facility up to 150,000 square feet alongside the family-owned company's existing plant. Masters Gallery employs about 420 workers. Company officials say the expansion is needed to increase storage space as demand grows and to free up space elsewhere for additional production growth. The company makes private-label cheese for national retail chains and sold under those customers' brand names. MCNEILUS STEEL EXPANDS FACILITY, ADDS JOBS IN FOND DU LAC McNeilus Steel Inc. is adding a $15 million coil processing facility near its Fond du Lac headquarters. The 96,000-square-foot expansion is new facility will allow it to add 50 jobs in three to five years, says McNeilus Steel general manager Greg Head. F expected to be finished next August. The company is projecting that the 30 | INSIGHT on Manufacturing • November 2012 MANUFACTURING MATTERS! SET FOR FEB. 28 IN MILWAUKEE Buckley Brinkman he Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership's 16th annual Manufacturing Matters! Conference will be held Feb. 28 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Milwaukee. For the first time, the event will be held on the same day as the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year (MOTY) awards banquet, scheduled for that evening at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. The MOTY program recognizes companies in a variety of categories for manufacturing excellence. "This year, we're offering a unique opportunity to experience the best of Wisconsin manufacturing in one day," said Buckley T Brinkman, CEO/executive director of the WMEP. "Manufacturing Matters! is known for exceptional learning and networking opportunities, and the MOTY awards celebrate the tremendous accomplishments of Wisconsin manufacturers. We're extremely excited to offer manufacturers this winning combination." Dan Ariens, president and chief executive officer of Ariens Co., will serve as keynote speaker for the conference. Ariens joined the Brillion-based outdoor power equipment manufacturer in 1983 and became president and CEO in 1998. Ariens manufactures snow blowers, lawn mowers and lawn tractors. For more information about the conference, visit www.wmep.org and www.manufacturingmatters.org. F www.insightonmfg.com he 2012 New North Summit "Elevate to Innovate," will be held at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton. The day will begin at 7 a.m. with networking and continental breakfast and features a CEO panel, breakout sessions and an address

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