Solar company to move headquarters from California to Wisconsin; Oshkosh Defense receives $50M order from Marine Corps
Solar company to move headquarters from California to Wisconsin
W Solar Group Inc. will move its headquarters and manufacturing operations to Dane County from California and will receive up to $28 million in Enterprise Zone tax credits from the Department of Commerce.
The company expects to create about 620 jobs between its headquarters, R&D and manufacturing facilities. The project represents a capital investment of more than $300 million.
The U.S. and international solar markets are expected to grow rapidly in the years ahead. Wisconsin is a national leader in solar installations. Among the companies the Department of Commerce has assisted are Cardinal Glass, 5NPlus, PDM Solar, ZBB Technologies and Helios.
“W Solar Group was attracted to Wisconsin early in our search for a project location,” Chris Hamrin, president and chief executive officer W Solar Group Inc., which will move to Wisconsin from Chatsworth, Calif. “We are impressed with the high quality workforce, extensive supply chain, and the commitment to producing world-class products. Making Wisconsin our home is the right decision, and W Solar’s goal is to be a great addition to the Wisconsin economy. Wisconsin’s role as a leading manufacturing state with hard-working people also contributed to our decision to make the Badger State the place to grow our company.”
The company has made a commitment to purchase materials and services from Wisconsin suppliers in an effort to create or retain additional jobs.
W Solar Group has a highly efficient technology for producing thin film solar panels on a large scale and at a lower cost than its competitors. The projected global market for solar panels will increase more than tenfold over the next decade, and the company anticipates about half of its production will be exported to overseas markets.
Oshkosh Defense receives $50M order from Marine Corps
Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corp. has received an order for more than 100 Logistics Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR) Cargo Variants and 120 enhanced protection kits from the U.S. Marine Corps.
Production is scheduled to begin in August and the order is expected to be complete by April 2012. The order has a value of about $50 million.
“The LVSR is an advanced tactical vehicle built for today’s logistics missions, which often require Marines to travel off-road in harsh environments,” said John Bryant, vice president and general manager of Marine Corps Programs for Oshkosh Defense. “When troops need to travel on rough terrain in combat zones, they need improved survivability, mobility and enhanced performance to help them accomplish their objectives – and the LVSR delivers those capabilities.”
The LVSR is produced in three variants – cargo, wrecker and tractor – and features an on-road payload capacity of 22.5 tons and an off-road payload capacity of 16.5 tons. It is equipped with the Oshkosh Command Zone™ embedded diagnostics system to provide real-time performance feedback on vital vehicle information and uses the company’s patented TAK-4® independent suspension system for off-road mobility in the most challenging environments. LVSRs have been operating in Afghanistan since September 2009.
