AEM - Association of Equipment Manufacturers
AEM - Association of Equipment Manufacturers
10/03/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/03/2024 06:12
A Long Road Home: The AEM Manufacturing Express Makes Its Way Through the Midwest
It'sWeek 15 of the AEM Manufacturing Express, and as the tourmoves towards its final stop AEM continuesto engage the equipment manufacturing community and tell the story of its 2.3 million employees. From Kansas to Virginia, and everywhere in between, AEM's monumental initiative is shaping up to be the largest and best in the association's history.
Since the first week of July,the AEM's interactive mobile tour has traveled thousands of miles and made dozens of stops across 11 states to highlight all the ways in which equipment manufacturing contributes to society today.
This past week, the AEM Manufacturing Express made its first stop at Terra Drive Systemsand Deere & Company, then made its wayto Illinois to visit Komatsu America Corporation, AstecMobile Screens, and the week was rounded out with a stop at Sewer Equipment.
The AEM Manufacturing Express was greeted by the morning sun as it rolled through the cornfields toTerra Drive Systems - a small company that'smaking a big impacton the utility and agriculture industriestoday. The company was founded in 1976, andstarted their business manufacturing what they call the Mud Hog: steerable hydraulic drive axles for combines.Now, not only are their productsare sold all over the U.S., but close to 40% of their productsarebeing sold overseaswith Hogs and other productsfinding their way to every continent around the world. Check out some photos from the event a Terra Drive Systems below, orvisit the AEM Manufacturing Express Flickr gallery.
Deere & Company was up nextin Davenport, Iowa, as the bus continued onward. The companywas founded in 1837 in Illinois, beginning with the invention of the self-scouring steel plow, and now is a global manufacturer of agricultural, construction, and forestry equipment.Deere & Company's Davenport Facility celebrated its 50thanniversary, marking the company's ongoing commitment to the area.
At the Komatsuevent,The AEM Manufacturing Express tour was witness to a groundbreaking ceremony, as the company announced its renewed investment into the city of Peoria, Illinois.Dan Funcannon, Komatsu Senior Vice President of Surface Haulage, says the company's expansion this year will mean 200 new jobs in engineering, sales, product support, and marketing, signaling the company commitment to the community. Check out some photos from the event atKomatsu below, orvisit theAEM Manufacturing Express Flickr gallery.
The bus continued its journey in Illinois tofeature a double header event that includedAstecMobile Screens, where employees met AEM staff and played the Manufacturing Challenge game.It was a sunny dayin Sterling, Illinois,as the company showcasedtheirinnovative screening equipment and celebratedthe dedication of theirhardworking employees- some of the 2.3 million employeesthat lift upthe manufacturing industry and make it what it is today.
The latter half of the day saw a visit to Sewer Equipment, where hundreds of employees came out to celebrate the equipment manufacturing industry and tell its story.The company's current product offeringsinclude combination sewer cleaners, truck jets, trailer jets, easement machines, vacuum excavators, and partsand accessories. Sewer Equipment employees over 200 people in the rural community of Dixon, Illinois.
During the next week, the AEM Manufacturing Express will travel to Kinze Manufacturing, HCC Inc., The Morey Corporation, Terramac, Woods Equipment, Woods Equipment, Etnyre International, General Kinematics, and Kuhn North America, as the bus tour continues its travels through the Midwest.
About the AEM Manufacturing Express
The most ambitious and impactful public engagement initiative in AEM's 130-year history, the AEM Manufacturing Express is an interactive mobile tour that will cover 20 states and make stops at more than 80 equipment manufacturers' facilities in the Midwest, South, Mid-Atlantic, and states around the Great Lakes this summer and into the fall. Stay in the knowon all things AEM Manufacturing Express by visiting www.manufacturingexpress.org.
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