Spartan Specialty Vehicles, a business unit of Spartan Motors, Inc. ("Spartan" or the "Company") – a leader in the manufacturing of high-quality specialty chassis and vehicle assembly – celebrated the grand opening of its new, flexible manufacturing facility in Charlotte, Michigan. The ceremony featured a tour of the facility and the plant's production of the all-new 2018 Isuzu FTR Class 6 medium-duty truck, designed to optimize fuel efficiency and maximize cargo space in order to serve the growing urban and last-mile delivery segments.
The F-Series truck represents an expanded alliance with Isuzu, as Spartan has been manufacturing the smaller Isuzu N-Series truck from a dedicated facility in Charlotte since 2011. In fact, Spartan produced its 40,000th Isuzu N-Series this year.
"At Spartan, our core competencies are reflected through contract manufacturing and investment in the local communities; and today's ceremony represented that," said Daryl Adams, president and CEO, Spartan Motors. "We are happy to have had the opportunity to celebrate our expanded alliance with Isuzu, which will bring more than 100 new jobs to the region, and recognize the great work our employees are doing to help improve efficiency for our customers."
The new, 85,000-square-foot assembly plant represents a $6.5 million investment to the local community, and will bring nearly 100 jobs to Spartan Motors and the region.
"The event today was a great opportunity to showcase the skilled workforce at this state-of-the-art facility, as they have done a remarkable job assembling high-quality trucks that support the growing last mile delivery infrastructure," said Steve Guillaume, president, Spartan Specialty Vehicles.
Multimedia assets from the ceremony are available here.
About Spartan Motors
Spartan Motors, Inc. is a leading designer, engineer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty vehicles, specialty chassis, vehicle bodies and parts for the fleet and delivery, recreational vehicle (RV), emergency response, defense forces and contract assembly (light / medium duty truck) markets. The Company's brand names — Spartan Motors, Spartan Specialty Vehicles, Spartan Emergency Response, Spartan Parts and Accessories; Smeal® and its family of brands, including Ladder Tower™ and UST®; and Utilimaster®, a Spartan Motors Company — are known for quality, durability, performance, customer service and first-to-market innovation. The Company employs approximately 2,200 associates and operates facilities in Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Dakota; Saltillo, Mexico; and Lima, Peru. Spartan reported sales of $591 million in 2016. Visit Spartan Motors at www.spartanmotors.com.