Krones building new training and technology center in Franklin

Krones Inc. will be building a new training and technology center in southeastern Wisconsin with plans to employ 25 new skilled workers.

The manufacturing company is a subsidiary of Krones AG — based in Neutraubling, Germany — with U.S. headquarters in Franklin. It specializes in machinery related to the beverage and liquid food industry: packaging machines, processors for plastic containers, filling technology and more. Krones also provides IT solutions for this sector.

According to a release, one out of every four beverage bottles in the world run through a Krones machine.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. is providing up to $300,000 in performance-based Business Development Tax Credits to help Krones build the new facility across the street from its headquarters in Franklin. Whether the credits are earned will depend on if the company is able to create the 25 new jobs.

Krones has three years to do so and must maintain them for another two, or else the tax credits could be clawed back, according to Mark Maley, WEDC spokesman. The company must increase its employment level every year for the next three years in order to get any credits.

Construction for the 40,000 square-foot facility is set to begin in the spring.

With 600 employees at its U.S. headquarters, it’s one of the biggest employers in the area, and Franklin Mayor Steve Olson says it’s an “outstanding community partner.”

“Krones is one of the first businesses in the Franklin Industrial Park and has grown considerably since their original investment in 1966,” Olson said.

Susan Paprcka, head of marketing at Krones, says the new building will be “very state-of-the-art” with an all-glass front space to be used as a showroom for the company’s latest technology.

The training to be conducted at the new center will be two-fold, Paprcka says.

Primarily, Krones customers will be able to get in front of the company’s latest machinery and technology, so they can get hands-on training with this equipment.

“Higher skill levels translate to greater customer success with their Krones machines,” said Holger Beckmann, president and CEO of Krones Inc.

On top of that, Krones service technicians will get unique training in southeast Wisconsin to support a specific company strategy: provide more localized support to customers.

“We now train people who live in those areas, to support customers with the best knowledge and the latest training,” she added.

Paprcka says the company has been growing rapidly, with several recent acquisitions adding to its capacity and reach.

Krones acquired New York-based Javlyn, a process systems integration company, in May of this year. It acquired Trans-Market, a Florida engineering and automation company, last August, and finalized the purchase of automated warehousing company System Logistics in May 2016.

–By Alex Moe
WisBusiness.com