Skyjack recently revealed an ambitious expansion plan at ConExpo, which will see its global manufacturing capacity increase by 235% compared to 2022 levels. The expansion involves growing its number of manufacturing plants from two in Canada to five worldwide, with new facilities in China, Hungary, and Mexico.
Ken McDougall, Skyjack president, explained that the need for increased capacity and a reassessment of supply chain and logistics structures arose from the pre-COVID limitations at Canadian plants and the challenges brought about by the pandemic.
The first phase of the expansion involves enhancing fabrication and vertical integration at the Canadian plants. These facilities will focus on producing vertical masts, DC, and RT scissors while shifting telehandler and boom production to the new Mexican plant.
Skyjack will also establish the Canadian plants as innovation hubs, enhancing advanced engineering structures and coordinating design and development activities across its three regional business units: Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
"This is an exciting time for our Canadian plants. Our plans call for a significant increase in headcount and a positive change as we develop vertical integrations and an improved work environment," McDougall said.
In 2022, Skyjack announced its intentions to open manufacturing facilities in China. This project consists of two phases. The first phase, completed in September 2022, involved using a 35,000 sq. ft. facility in Tianjin with the support
Their plant, located in Tianjin, initially focused on the company’s smaller DC scissors. Phase 2, which was launched with a ground-breaking ceremony in October 2022, will see a greenfield facility developed with 400 000 sq ft. This plant’s production will focus on DC scissors and booms with output supplying to the Asia-Pacific and Australian regions. This new facility is scheduled to be in production in Q3 2023.
“We have had our eye on the Chinese market for some time. The key to success here is the ability to commit to the region and in-turn that means an in market manufacturing presence. We have been lucky enough to benefit from our parent company’s existing infrastructure in the short term and we are now focused on building up sales and distribution networks,” McDougall notes.
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