Manitou Group inaugurates US plant expansion in preparation for North American market growth

The inauguration on Sept. 10, 2024 coincided with the 50th anniversary of the site which is dedicated to the production of telehandlers and articulated loaders. It comes one year after the expansion of its neighboring plant in Madison, SD. The latest expansion will support production of a new range of telehandlers, debuted in March 2023 at Conexpo in Las Vegas, which are dedicated to the North American market.

Manitou Group President and CEO Michel Denis said the occasion marks much more than a plant expansion.

Jacqueline Himsworth, chairwoman of the board of Manitou Group, cuts the ribbon on the plant expansion in Yankton, South Dakota, US, alongside President and CEO Michel Denis and members of the board of directors, as well as representatives from the state of South Dakota as well as Yankton Mayor Mason Schramm.

“This is an expansion of our facility here, but today also represents a completely new range of telehandlers for the US market, a complete redistribution of the work, and a new investment in the tooling and the equipment, and ultimately, the productivity of the plant. So it’s not just a little bit bigger plant. It’s a completely new game for us here in the US.”

To his point, the addition of 75,000 square feet to the existing 220,000-square-foot facility represents a $20-million investment that will provide the Yankton facility with innovative industrial resources such as laser-cutting machines and an automated moving assembly line.

“The US is today the number one market for us in the world, so in terms of potential development, it is very important,” Denis said. “Manitou has been in the telehandler marketplace for decades, and we want to maintain our presence, so we are investing to develop more.”

50 years of growth

Alongside Denis, the inauguration ceremony took place in the presence of Jacqueline Himsworth, chairwoman of the board of Manitou Group, as well as representatives from the state of South Dakota as well as Yankton Mayor Mason Schramm and Nancy Wenande, CEO of Yankton Thrive, a local group focused on economic growth in the region. 

The Manitou Group board of directors includes several members of the Himsworth-Braud family, which has a long history in manufacturing, beginning in France in the 1930s. 

Jacqueline Himsworth spoke to the crowd of more than 200 employees as well as dignitaries about the 50-year history of the plant itself, and how Manitou Group became involved after its acquisition of Gehl in 2008.

“That was a difficult time economically, and business went down. Many, many people lost their jobs,” she recalled of the years during the Great Recession. “But we never say we lose at Manitou Group, so we are here today and we are very, very proud of what the American team has done.”

“The expansion of our Yankton site, which is now 50 years old, strengthens our Group’s historic presence in the United States,” explains Alexandre Caharel, vice president product unit compact and articulated loaders. “This is an important growth lever in a particularly dynamic market. This new industrial site will enable us to keep pace with this strong demand, while delivering ever greater added value to our customers.”

Manitou Group has already hired 50 new personnel since the beginning of the expansion, in a state where the unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the United States. This modernization will be accompanied by other recruitments that will be adjusted according to market trends.

Manitou Group - whose name is a portmanteau of the French “mani,” meaning lift and “tou,” meaning everything - employs 300 at its Yankton facility and more than 900 in the United States.

Manitou Group President and CEO Michel Denis, left, took the stage beside Jacqueline Himsworth, chairwoman of the company’s board of directors, during the inauguration ceremony for the plant expansion in Yankton, South Dakota, US, where a new range of telehandlers will be manufactured for the North American market.

Market forces

Manitou Group recently reported a positive first half of 2024, set against a slower than expected increase in US production, and predicted the performance will not be repeated in the rest of the year.

Group sales were stable at €1.4 billion, amounting to a 0.4% increase on the first six months in 2023, while operating income saw a big rise of 44.7% to €127.5 million, comparted to the same period in 2023.

“The group closes a very good half-year in a context of contrasting activity and outlook,” Denis reported in August. “[This was] driven by a stronger than expected momentum in Southern Europe, growth in Europe offset the decline in North America.”

At the inauguration, he noted, “There’s caution in some markets, while others are developing. We are in markets within the construction sector that are neither developing nor collapsing, they are really expecting... like many of our competitors, we are in the middle of the bridge. So we’ll see on the economic evolution.”

As for the future, Denis said Manitou Group has many plans in the works. 

“We are investing for the long term, including investment in zero-emission machines,” he said. “We have released some MEWPs, 100% electric, in the past year, with great success in the market. We are also investing in 100% electric telehandlers and rotating telehandlers. We have a very strong dealer network around the world and we are confident in the development of the company for the long term.”

Caharel added, “We are now capable to satisfy more demand, so we will continue to grow in North America, in particular, but also worldwide.”