It’s Week 15 of the AEM Manufacturing Express, and as the tour moves toward its final stop AEM continues to 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, 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 Systems and Deere & Company, then made its way to Illinois to visit Komatsu America Corporation, Astec Mobile 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 to Terra Drive Systems - a small company that’s making a big impact on the utility and agriculture industries today. The company was founded in 1976, and started their business manufacturing what they call the Mud Hog: steerable hydraulic drive axles for combines. Now, not only are their products are sold all over the U.S., but close to 40% of their products are being sold overseas with Hogs and other products finding their way to every continent around the world.
Check out some photos from the event a Terra Drive Systems below, or visit the AEM Manufacturing Express Flickr gallery.
Deere & Company was up next in Davenport, Iowa, as the bus continued onward. The company was 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 50th anniversary, marking the company’s ongoing commitment to the area.
At the Komatsu event, 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 at Komatsu below, or visit the AEM Manufacturing Express Flickr gallery.
The bus continued its journey in Illinois to feature a double header event that included Astec Mobile Screens, where employees met AEM staff and played the Manufacturing Challenge game. It was a sunny day in Sterling, Illinois as the company showcased their innovative screening equipment and celebrated the dedication of their hardworking employees – some of the 2.3 million employees that lift up the 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 offerings include combination sewer cleaners, truck jets, trailer jets, easement machines, vacuum excavators, and parts and 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 know on all things AEM Manufacturing Express by visiting www.manufacturingexpress.org.
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