Husco International to expand in Maquoketa

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By Sheri Melvold | Saturday, March 22, 2008 |

Jackson County supervisors had a special meeting Friday afternoon to talk about selling the former S&H Fabricating building to Husco International. A Florida man donated the building to the county in 2007. HUSCO expects to expand the building to 80,000 square feet when at full production. The company said it plans to invest $20 million in capital investments over a four year period. (Kevin E. Schmidt/ Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

MAQUOKETA, Iowa — Husco International has announced it will expand its operations into Maquoketa.

The company will buy a 53,100-square-foot building in the Timber City Industrial Park in Maquoketa for its operations with plans for expansion.

Plans call for 200 jobs over a three-year period. The average hourly wage for the jobs has not been announced. Further details are expected during a news conference this afternoon.

HUSCO International is based in Waukesha, Wis., with manufacturing facilities in Waukesha and Whitewater, Wis.; Runcorn, England, Shanghai, China, and Pune, India. Maquoketa will be the third North American facility.

The Maquoketa operation will house new product lines being introduced this year by the company. It will incorporate the use of HUSCO’s new high-tech “Genesis” manufacturing cells which have been developed for next generation manufacturing. The company manufactures hydraulic and electro-hydraulic controls for use on mobile equipment. The company makes parts for Deere & Co. as well as other heavy equipment manufacturers.

“After considering a number of options, HUSCO has decided to locate our new manufacturing facility in Maquoketa,” Agustin Ramirez, chairman and chief executive officer, said. “We were convinced that worker skills and technical training capabilities in the area are superior to those of the other locations we reviewed.”

HUSCO plans to employ up to 200 employees by 2011. The company’s expansion in Maquoketa will employ general assembly, skilled trades and professional staff. New employees will require training for machine set-up, blueprint reading and other skills. Eastern Iowa Community College will assist in the training.

Jackson County supervisors will have a special meeting this afternoon to talk about selling the former S&H Fabricating building to HUSCO. A Florida man donated the building to the county last year. HUSCO expects to expand the building to 80,000 square feet when at full production. The company said it plans to invest $20 million in capital investments over a four year period.

“Today is a great day for Maquoketa and the state of Iowa,” Gov. Chet Culver said in a prepared statement. “This announcement in Maquoketa is proof that Iowa’s leadership in advanced manufacturing continues to grow.”

Jackson County Supervisor Chairman Larry “Buck” Koos said job creation was their highest priority in selling the building.

“HUSCO’s company philosophy is a great fit with our greatest asset in Jackson County, our people,” Koos said.

Mayor Tom Messerli said the industry will be a “great asset to the community. It comes at a time when Maquoketa has had some hardships with the downtown fire. But Maquoketa has and will come back.”

The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2450 or newsroom@qctimes.com.