Town of Genesee-based Generac is officially ramping up production at its newest manufacturing facility in Beaver Dam.
The 345,000-square-foot plant is located within the Highway 151 Business Park at Kellom Road and Tower Drive.
Approximately 130 people are currently working at the site. That number is expected to increase to 320 by the end of 2025. The building can hold up to 250 employees per shift.
The plant currently houses five production lines. Three are already running, with the remaining two ramping up in the coming weeks. There’s also room in the building for a sixth production line if needed.
By consolidating the production of units previously outsourced to Mexico—including units ranging from 48KW to 1MW—Beaver Dam unlocks growth at other Generac facilities including its plant in Oshkosh, which can now focus on larger megawatt units to serve the growing data center market, and its Eagle plant, which is expanding fabrication capabilities.
“Dramatically larger units will be produced here and we’re providing tremendous value for our customers by opening this factory,” said Erik Wilde, president, domestic C&I, at Generac.
Generac has been working to vertically integrate so the company doesn’t need to outsource as many segments of the fabrication and production process, in turn speeding up lead times.
The Beaver Dam facility includes 17 test cells, where generators are tested through various conditions and elements, subassembly areas, tanking areas (where final assembly takes place), a painting area and a boxing area.
The facility uses 15 miles of wire a day which is used to make rotors, one of the many components that go inside a generator. Motor production has been shifted from Mexico to the U.S.
Generac has invested in the Tulip manufacturing execution system to help modernize the shop floor. Tulip is a digital interface that visualizes different components of the manufacturing process on a screen and eliminates the need for paper and manual processes.
Additional investments were made to purchase conveyor automation equipment and a new paint line. The paint line consists of a washer, dryer, paint booth and cure oven. It can also run two lines simultaneously.
“We’re combining automation with hands on expertise to ensure every unit meets high standards for quality and performance,” said Andy Martin, vice president of operations at Generac.
Generac has six other plants in Wisconsin and seven total in the United States.
