Overall, the company provides cranes and other products that are used in shipyards, ports and the automotive and steel industries, among others.
The cranes manufactured as part of the program will be built at facilities in Franklin, Ohio; Houston, Texas; and Alberta, Canada. The Franklin facility manufactures all industrial overhead crane products, cranes for the Quick Ship Program and some custom-engineered overhead crane projects.
The new program is not expected to impact hiring, Schelkun said. However, the company already employs about 375 employees based in Springfield and 2,200 employees in the U.S.
Konecranes also has more than 150 job openings, said Tom Sothard, senior vice president and head of Region Americas said at a Rotary Club meeting Monday. Despite some job growth in the state since the recession, the company has been steadily looking for similar number of workers for several years, Sothard said. Many of the most difficult positions to fill include highly-skilled workers such as electricians, he said.
The company has worked closely with local schools and county officials to expose students to jobs at the company, Sothard said.
“A lot of this is just directing our kids into fields that offer good-paying jobs,” he said.
The new Quick Ship Program is designed to ship cranes of up to 10 tons to customers more quickly to help them meet construction deadlines.
The company’s regional headquarters is based in Springfield, and much of the training the company provides to its employees is offered here.
Overall, Konecranes has more than 11,000 employees in 50 countries.
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