Heavy Duty vehicle lift leader, Stertil-Koni, a brand of the Stertil Group, announced that its U.S. production facility located in Streator, IL, Stertil ALM, has completed a planned 36,000 square foot expansion designed to deliver enhanced flow and efficiencies in the production of the company’s highly regarded heavy duty in-ground vehicle lifting systems.
The completion of the expanded facility follows the purchase in 2014 by the Stertil Group of a 4.5 acre parcel adjacent to Stertil ALM’s existing manufacturing plant. Moving swiftly, the company broke ground on the project in March of 2015 and anticipates full completion of the individual work centers and equipment to support those production areas by the second quarter of 2016.
In making the announcement, Stertil-Koni USA Inc. president, Dr. Jean DellAmore, stated, “While many companies today may look overseas to outsource their manufacturing requirements in the face of heightened demand, the Stertil Group is investing right here at home in Amercia -- plant, equipment and employment. The expansion of our vehicle lift production facility in Streator is in direct response to the North American marketplace and reflects the strong growing demand for our entire range of products, notably our in-ground lifting systems.”
Added Allan Pavlick, vice president of Stertil ALM, “The plant expansion has been specifically engineered to improve the flow of goods through the lift manufacturing and assembly process, reduce the physical handling time in between the multiple work centers, and keep costs down by reducing product throughput. The net result will be even higher quality and value for our customers.”
Stertil ALM, already a major employer in Streator, anticipates that the expansion will help support continued employment in the region.
The expansion also comes on the heels of several additional enhancements to the existing facility, which included an additional 14,000 square feet of production space added in 2011, and a new training center. Stertil ALM also recently purchased and brought online a world-class cutting machine that utilizes a combination of plasma and oxy-fuel torches coupled with a state-of-the-art PC-based, touch screen controller for extremely fast, high-precision manufacturing -- a major milestone in ALM’s strategic migration towards in-sourcing.
Stertil-ALM also purchased and installed an additional CNC machining center and a high capacity overhead crane in 2014.
Concluded Dr. DellAmore, “The entire Stertil Group is extremely proud of our commitment to providing exceptional design, production and performance in the demanding world of heavy duty vehicle lifting systems. Our approach – one in which our engineers begin with the customers in mind, and then build the very best vehicle lifting systems to meet all their requirements – is aptly called ‘Freedom of Choice.’ We are extremely gratified that the marketplace response has been very strong and continues to grow.”
About Stertil-Koni
Stertil-Koni, a brand of the Stertil Group, is the global market leader in heavy duty vehicle lifts – bus lifts and truck lifts – and is the preferred supplier to the world’s leading companies in the truck and bus industries. Stertil-Koni's breadth of products meets all ranges of lifting needs and includes mobile column lifts, two-post, four-post, in-ground piston lifts, parallelogram lifts, half-scissors and its innovative axle-engaging, in-ground, scissor lift configuration, ECOLIFT. Stertil-Koni is also now installing DIAMOND LIFT across North America, a full rise telescopic piston lift designed to set new standards in precision heavy duty lifting. Stertil-Koni USA is headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland. Stertil-Koni has production facilities in Europe, in The Netherlands, and in the USA in Streator, Illinois.