Contact: Mark Meunier
Vice President of Human Resources
(608) 242-5270
(608) 770-9401 (cell)
New product line will initially employ 20, with up to 200 jobs expected in coming years
Madison – Madison-Kipp Corp. will establish a third operation in the
Madison area with an expansion to an existing facility in the Sun
Prairie Business Park, officials said Tuesday.
The move to this 70,000 square foot facility will allow the company to
begin operations quickly, satisfying customer production requirements
commencing in June 2006.
"We’re thrilled to find a location that is close to our existing
employee base, suits our needs and allows us to quickly serve our new
customers," said Mark Meunier, vice president of human resources for
Madison-Kipp. "The ability to be able to ‘run at rate’ and achieve the
quality our customers require within three to four months proved the
deciding factor in our site search."
Initially, Madison-Kipp will employ about 20 at the new location. Within a
three to four year period, employment throughout the company is
expected to grow by as many as 200 jobs as the company fulfills
contracts for an additional $54 million worth of business.
The first products to be completed at the plant will be rear-wheel drive
assemblies, which are used by Dana Corp. for a number of different
passenger and commercial vehicles produced by Ford Motor Co. Additional
business will come from the engine division of Kohler Co.
While manufacturing now accounts for a smaller percentage of the area’s
economy than it once did, Meunier said Madison-Kipp’s expansion will
benefit the entire Capitol Region. Manufacturing jobs such as those being
created generally offer higher wages than work in some other sectors of
the economy and the supplies and services the company uses create
additional jobs. The Madison-Kipp jobs likely will start at $11 per hour,
and increase depending on education, skills and experience.
"The manufacturing industry is important to the region, because it
provides opportunities for workers with skill sets ranging from high
school and technical college backgrounds to those with Ph.D.’s," Meunier
said. "At the same time, as a company with roots here for more than 100
years, we feel that our work force has contributed to our ability to
remain competitive in the global marketplace."
In addition to the Sun Prairie location, Madison-Kipp had considered sites
in Madison and Lake Mills. Meunier credited officials in all the
communities for extending personal support and offers of assistance to the
company. The Sun Prairie site was chosen because the plant had been used
for a process with similar requirements in the past and it was immediately
available.
"With the opening of our new location, we will have three
state-of-the-art facilities in the Madison area," Meunier said. The
existing plants, on Fair Oaks and Atwood Avenues currently employ about
450.
Madison-Kipp
Expansion Fact Sheet
Location: 1655 Corporate Center Drive, Sun Prairie Industrial Park
Size: 70,000 square-foot building with additional acreage
Investment: Multi-million dollar investment in precision machinery
Timing: Kipp will take possession March 1
Employees:
Short term: 20 existing employees will transfer
Long term: Up to 200 jobs in the next three to four years
Products & Processes:
Short term: Machining and light assembly for Dana Corp. rear-drive unit
Long term: Additional business opportunities
