NEWS RELEASES
Iowa Awards Winnebago Half Million Dollars In Incentives
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Des Moines Register's website.
The Des Moines Register reports that Winnebago Industries has been granted more than half a million dollars in incentives to move production of its Class A diesel motorhomes from its Junction City, Oregon plant to its manufacturing campus in Forest City, Iowa. The incentives include $361,000 in state tax refunds and credits from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and an expected $155,000 tax abatement from Forest City. The move will consolidate all Winnebago manufacturing at its Forest City campus.
The move, announced by Winnebago earlier in February, will cost the Oregon community over 200 jobs, although the Junction City location will continue to operate as one of Winnebago Industries’ aftermarket and RV parts support facilities. About 175 new jobs will be created in Forest City.
Describing Winnebago’s 2015 decision to move diesel manufacturing to Junction City’s former Country Coach facility, as a well the intended effort to acquire additional motorhome assembly capacity and tap into an experienced RV workforce in the Northwest, Brian Hazelton, vice president and general manager of Winnebago Motorhome Business division, said in a press release: “This difficult decision to relocate diesel manufacturing back to Forest City, Iowa … is necessary. It will enable more effective product development… and most importantly result in being a more reliable supplier to our diesel dealers and end customers.”
Read the full press release on the Winnebago Investors website.