WASHINGTON —
Executives from MacAllister Machinery Co. joined officials from Daviess County Indiana for a formal ground-breaking today to begin construction of a $9 million, 50,000 sq. ft. expansion of existing facilities in the county. The expansion is expected to allow MacAllister to strategically centralize its component rebuild service in one Indiana location, thus advancing its goal of continuous improvement in customer service, according to Chris MacAllister, president.
MacAllister Machinery, a private family-owned business that serves as a distributor for new and used Caterpillar equipment, has maintained service and sales operations in Daviess County for 28 years and currently employs about 100 associates here.
“This exciting expansion by MacAllister eloquently demonstrates the critical value of having an Interstate nearby to connect Daviess County with the rest of the state and beyond,” said Tony Wichman, president of the Daviess County commissioners. “It is fitting and symbolic that the day after the new I-69 formally opens its 67-mile expansion through southern Indiana that a major company like MacAllister begins a large-scale strategic expansion.”
The new 50,000 sq. ft. facility, which will more than double the size of the existing physical facility up to 90,000 sq. ft., will house sales, parts and services and MacAllister’s inventory of Caterpillar heavy and compact equipment. The larger facility will have 26,000 sq. ft. dedicated to rebuilding engines, transmissions, torque convertors and final drives. The facility is expected to be in operation 24 hours a day, six days a week to provide faster customer turnaround cycles.
“We continue to grow and our presence in Washington for 28 years is based on the excellent local workforce that serves our mining customers 24/7,” said MacAllister. “Centralizing component rebuild work from around the state in Washington leverages that excellent local workforce and creates economies of scale.”
“Our award-winning local school systems and area culture produce a solid workforce, and we are pleased that MacAllister is taking appropriate advantage of these workforce assets,” said Mayor Joe Wellman of Washington. “MacAllister has been a great corporate citizen for many years and we look forward to working with them to grow their workforce and presence even further in the months and years ahead.”
Also included in the MacAllister expansion project are:
•The addition of a separate building dedicated solely to sand-blasting and painting
•A new $300,000 state-of-the-art dynometer (engine test cell) that will test engines as large as the CAT C175
•A 400-hp transmissions test bench, large enough to re-build CAT 3600 engines
•A new, larger track repair shop
•Consolidation of the parts inventory in one Washington-area location.
“Everyone is pleased to see MacAllister take strategic advantage of the new distribution and logistics benefits afforded by the opening of I-69,” said Jeremy Sowders, director of business development for Radius Indiana, a regional economic development partnership serving eight counties in south central Indiana. “Given the broad impact of MacAllister Machinery, we at Radius are happy to provide support for this expansion.”
Headquartered in Indianapolis, MacAllister Machinery Co., Inc. is the exclusive Caterpillar dealer for most of Indiana.
Established in 1945, the company presently employs more than 750 Hoosiers in 17 service and rental facilities around Indiana.
“It took a working team of professionals and community leaders to put this expansion together, which will ultimately benefit the I-69 entire region,” said Ron Arnold, executive director of the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation.
“It was a pleasure working with the MacAllister professionals, particularly as this type of expansion is exactly what the county is looking for with its strategic proximity to the new Interstate.”
--- Special to TH
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