Daimler Trucks North America Ramping up Production, Hiring

Daimler Trucks North America LLC plans to step up production and grow its employment ranks over the next few months.

The Portland, Ore.-based manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty trucks said it will add more than 1,230 employees at its facilities in Portland; Mt. Holly, N.C.; and Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. The company also said it will add more than 120 shop and staff employees at its Gastonia, N.C., Parts Manufacturing Plant. The manufacturing and administrative positions are needed "to accommodate rising customer demand for the company's Freightliner and Western Star trucks," Daimler Trucks said in a news release. During the first half of the year, the company has added more than 1,300 people to its employment ranks at its truck and parts facilities.

Daimler's Mt. Holly, N.C., facility, which produces Freightliner Business Class M2 trucks such as this one, is one of several U.S. plants bringing back laid-off workers."Our manufacturing network is highly scalable and together with our component suppliers, we are fully prepared to handle current and projected order levels," said Roger Nielsen, chief operating officer, Daimler Trucks North America. "We have the capacity and the leverage to meet customer-delivery schedules despite the industry supply challenges associated with economic recovery and recent global events." U.S. Openings Will be Filled by Laid-Off Workers According to Daimler Trucks North America:

• The Mt. Holly Truck Manufacturing Plant will add a second shift to its operations. The facility plans to fill an additional 535 manufacturing and 37 related administrative positions by September.
  
• The Portland Truck Manufacturing Plant plans to fill an additional 155 manufacturing positions between September and the end of the year.
  
• The Saltillo Truck Manufacturing Plant plans to add a third shift and 479 manufacturing workers beginning in June. A total of 32 staff positions also will be filled at the plant. The Saltillo plant manufactures Freightliner Cascadia trucks for the U.S., Canadian and Mexican markets.
• The Gastonia Parts Manufacturing Plant will add 121 manufacturing workers and three administrative positions by early in the fourth quarter of this year.
• The Cleveland (N.C.) Truck Manufacturing Plant will add 10 shop positions by the end of July. The company noted that employment at the plant "expanded significantly in 2010 and jumped again in May.

Daimler Trucks North America said it expects to fill the majority of the new manufacturing positions at its U.S. plants with workers currently in layoff status, who will be recalled in order of seniority. See Also:

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Senior editor Josh Cable covers the automotive, aerospace, maritime and rail manufacturing beats, and economic development, for IndustryWeek. Follow him on Twitter at @JCable_IW .