After an extensive property search, Great Dane Limited Partnership has announced plans to build a new refrigerated trailer plant on a 118-acre site in the Gateway II section of Bulloch County’s Gateway Regional Industrial Park.  
    The plant, in its first phase, will encompass 450,000 square feet, including office and show room space, and will have the capacity to produce 5,000-plus trailers annually. At that level of production, the facility will employ more than 400 people.  
    "After more than a year-long search for the ideal location, we are extremely pleased to announce that Statesboro has been chosen as the future home of our new refrigerated trailer plant,” said Phill Pines, president and chief operating officer for Great Dane Limited Partnership. “While many different sites throughout the southeast region were considered, we believe the Statesboro location best meets our strategic and corporate needs.”
    According to Great Dane officials, the new reefer plant will serve the traditional Great Dane customer base. Its manufacturing processes will feature the latest technology in its foaming methods and automation of key production operations, making this the most modern, efficient plant in the world.
    "In addition to the economic and location considerations that were a part of our decision making process, we were impressed with the state of Georgia and Bulloch County's ability and willingness to effectively address our needs,” Pine said. “They have been professional and have made us feel welcome and wanted.”
    Construction for the new facility is slated to begin in 2011, and the plant will open in 2012. The company will utilize the services of Georgia Quick Start, the state’s top-ranked workforce training program, in equipping its workforce with the skills they need to operate the plant the day it opens.
    “We are proud to welcome Great Dane Trailers to Bulloch County,” said David Holland, chairman of the Development Authority of Bulloch County. “Our entire region will benefit from these much desired manufacturing jobs, and we are confident that our community and Great Dane will enjoy a long, mutually rewarding partnership.”
    The new plant will be less than an hour's drive from Great Dane's division offices in Savannah which will remain home to its sales, marketing, engineering, and state-of-the-art research and development center.  The company was founded in Savannah in 1900 as the Savannah Blowpipe Company, and the first Great Dane trailer ever built was assembled at its Savannah plant, which closed in 2009.
    “We are very pleased that Great Dane’s experience with our business-friendly environment in the state has motivated the company to expand their presence here,” said Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. “Great Dane is an important part of the nation’s supply-chain logistics infrastructure, and Georgia’s deep background and workforce expertise in both logistics and manufacturing is an ideal match for the company’s needs.”
    Great Dane, which produces dry vans, refrigerated and platform trailers, is known for its innovation, technology and quality.  The company has seven other strategically located manufacturing plants in the U.S. In addition, Great Dane utilizes a network of company-owned branches, full-line independent dealers, and parts-only independent dealers and has distribution points across North and South America.
    “This very fine company is a good fit for the community and I know will be welcomed with good old- fashioned Southern hospitality,” said Senator Jack Hill, District 4. “I salute the leadership of Bulloch County for a job well done, and we all appreciate the hard work by the Department of Economic Development to bring this industry to Bulloch County.”
    Georgia Department of Economic Development Regional Project Manager Chris Pumphrey assisted the company with its location. Great Dane can be accessed online at www.greatdanetrailers.com.