Altec Industries breaks ground on Dixon plant

[caption id="attachment_38314" align="alignright" width="360" caption="Altec outfitted trucks."][/caption]

DIXON -- Altec Industries, Inc., an Alabama-based leading international equipment and service provider for electric utility, telecommunications and contractor markets -- including government and military -- has broken ground for a new 42,000-square-foot manufacturing plant adjacent to its existing West Coast service center at 1450 North First St. in Dixon.

The company also has a division operations office next door at 325 Industrial Way.

“Altec is committed to sustainable solutions,” said Lee Styslinger III, Altec chairman and CEO. “Our commitment to sustainability is reflected not only in the products we build, but also in the facilities where we build them. We are genuinely excited about expanding our capabilities and presence in California to better serve and support the growing needs of our customers on the West Coast.  In addition, we are pleased to be bringing jobs and economic growth to the region.”

He said Altec is also committed to helping rebuild a strong manufacturing base in the U.S. and that the company’s new green-focused facility in California is evidence of that effort.

Construction is scheduled to begin within a few weeks with completion set for April 2012.

This facility will feature state-of-the-art sustainable construction that the company says will exceed Title 24 energy and lighting codes. The plant will also have an extensive recycling program for metals and other materials.

Altec plans to use this plant to expand development and production of its Green Fleet utility vehicle truck body product line using electric, hybrid and compressed natural gas medium-duty truck drive-train power systems.

In general, “medium duty” refers to trucks in a range of 10,000 to 19,500 pounds gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) plus average cargo weight at maximum load.

Altec has been producing truck bodies for green vehicle conversions since 2005.

Plans call for Altec to create as many as 50 new jobs when the plant opens – contingent upon production growth and the expanded use of Green Fleet equipment on the West Coast.

The company received significant guidance and support on the development of this new facility from two of its customers – PG&E and Southern California Edison.

In addition, PG&E and Altec are partnering to develop innovative, technologically advanced Green Fleet utility vehicles that will be produced at the new Dixon plant.

Altec manufactures a complete line of vehicle enhancements deployed for a variety of construction and restoration uses, including aerial bucket trucks, digger derricks, hydraulic telescopic cranes, cable handling vehicles, ground rod drivers, hotline insulated washers, pressure diggers and other truck bodies.

The firm also supplies environmental products, such as brush and tree choppers and wood chippers.

The company operates a network of service centers with shops that stock replacement parts, tools and accessories. It has the largest mobile service fleet in the industry.

Altec provides technical support from its 23 service centers in North America, including those located in 20 states and three Canadian Provinces. The company’s products and services are distributed in more than 100 countries around the globe.

Services range from minor repairs to rebuilds and remounts.  Altec also rents vehicles and sells used equipment.

As a government contractor, the company also engineers, designs and develops innovative equipment solutions and safety features for the military (Defense Logistics Agency), the General Services Administration (GSA), Homeland Security and other Federal agencies.

Altec takes pride in the fact that its equipment is always among the first at the scene of natural disasters as repair crews work to restore power and communications services in affected areas.

In a Duke University Center on Globalization report, researchers found that the U.S. trucking industry consumes more than 52 billion gallons of fuel each year and accounts for 21 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from transport activities. Medium trucks account for 4 percent of total truck fuel consumption.

Applying hybrid technology to medium- and heavy-duty vehicles can improve fuel economy by 20 to 50 percent with a corresponding decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and smog-forming pollutants, the report stated.

At least 25 U.S.-based truck makers and 14 U.S. hybrid system developers are actively involved; many now have prototypes or are producing available hybrid models.

Today major truck manufacturers, such as Autocar, Durastar, Daimler, Eaton, GMC, Kenworth, Freightliner, Navistar, Odyne, Peterbilt, Purolator, Smith Electric, and Sterling, among others, have moved aggressively into this market.

Altec, Inc., corporate headquarters is located at 210 Inverness Center Drive, Birmingham, Ala. 35242. For information, go to www.altec.com.

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