Husco International Inc. is planning a 20,800-square-foot addition to its Waukesha headquarters, with more than 10 percent of the current facility also undergoing a renovation, according to plans submitted to the city.
The Waukesha–based company, which develops and manufactures hydraulic and electro-hydraulic controls, has a 243,000-square-foot facility at 2239 Pewaukee Road near the Waukesha County Airport. The addition would include offices, training space, a work café and a new outdoor patio.
“The goal is to provide an innovative high-tech environment, aligned with Husco’s culture and products, intended to attract and retain top talent and create a collaborative environment, with greater functionality within and between departments,” according to a project statement.
The statement says the company currently has 335 employees at the facility, with 25 on second shift. The addition and remodeling would allow for a five-year growth plan that would bring total employment at the site to 400. Most of the growth would be among office and engineering employees, the statement said.
The addition would be on the southern portion of the company’s building with a portion connecting the east and west offices. The interior remodel would focus on 27,850 square feet of space in the western portion of the facility facing Pewaukee Road. That space includes offices, conference rooms and the company board room. The plans also include a location for a future 10,000-square-foot automotive lab.
Husco’s business has had both highs and lows in recent years. The company announced a $20 million investment in automotive assembly equipment in 2015. The auto portion of the business has grown as auto makers have had record sales years.
But Husco also was forced to end off-highway production at the Waukesha facility, moving that work to other facilities. The decision led to 67 employees being laid off, while others transferred or retired. The company worked with the Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington Workforce Development Board to help find work for those laid off.
