Wabash Opens New Advanced Manufacturing Facility for Dry Van Trailers

The conversion of Wabash’s Lafayette-based South Plant from refrigerated trailer capacity to dry van capacity is the largest investment Wabash has made in a single operation in the company’s 38 years

Wabash connected solutions for the transportation, logistics and distribution industries, hosted a ribbon cutting event for its advanced dry van trailer manufacturing facility in Lafayette, Indiana.

More than 150 people attended the event to mark this milestone in the company’s history, including dealers, customers, suppliers, state and local elected officials, and community partners. The conversion of Wabash’s Lafayette-based South Plant from refrigerated trailer capacity to dry van capacity is the largest investment Wabash has made in a single operation in the company’s 38 years.

“Today is special because the culmination of this massive project represents what we can achieve at Wabash when we allow ourselves to re-imagine what’s possible in manufacturing,” said Wabash President and Chief Executive Officer Brent Yeagy. “We had 100 or more Wabash team members touch this expansion project over the last two years. I could not be more proud of the way they stuck with the mission to upgrade our dry van manufacturing for both capacity and efficiency, as well as worker safety.”

Wabash’s new facility features advanced manufacturing technology that improves the worker experience while providing a more repeatable process. Production began several months ago, and once the plant is fully ramped, the company will have doubled production at its Lafayette South Plant with the same facility footprint and workforce.

Announced in July 2021, the strategic capacity expansion can produce an additional 10,000 dry van trailers annually. The company expects the full impact of this additional capacity to be notably realized in 2024.

“Wabash has strategically executed on this investment to change the way they reach customers,” said Mark Hall, General Manager – Trailers for Stoops Trailer, a dealership based in Indianapolis. “This will be a gamechanger in our industry, and we have come to expect nothing less from Wabash.”

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