Custom Products of Litchfield

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CUSTOM PRODUCTS OF LITCHFIELD, INC.
EXPANSION PLAN COMPLETE

Photo of folding ROPS going through the new automated paint line at Custom Products. These ROPS have just left the powder coat booth.

Photo of one of Custom Products' three position robotic welders. This robot has been affectionately nick-named "Sparky."

In the spring of 2005, Custom Products broke ground for a 17,800 square foot expansion which connects two separate manufacturing plants at its location in Litchfield, MN. The new plant houses a new finishing line which consists of a 5-stage power wash system and both wet spray paint and powder coat finishing lines. A 120-foot bake oven is the last stage of a 1300-foot fully powered conveyor line. The monorail line incorporates a power and free feature to facilitate "side tracking." This allows products to be pulled off the line for extended paint curing time or to perform hand finishing tasks without unnecessary handling.

The new finishing facility will increase the capacity and efficiency of the company's cab and roll bar manufacturing capabilities. The new wash and paint systems further improve the quality of the painted finishes applied. Warehousing, shipping and receiving operations will also be relocated as a part of the expansion.

In July of 2005 Custom Products completed a freestanding 1500 square foot building which houses an improved structural testing laboratory. The test facility was updated with a higher capacity test frame in August of 2006 and will ensure Custom Products' competitiveness in the certification of roll over protective structures by being able to handle larger vehicle chasses and greater test weights.

Company officials report the combined spending for the project exceeded $3 million including construction costs of the factory and test facility building expansions as well as capital equipment expenditures and fire restoration efforts following a fire in October 2004.

Custom Products serves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of off-highway equipment and supplies them with cab enclosures, roll bars, sunshades and other fabricated sheet metal and tubing components. In addition, the company supplies the Cozy Cab brand of aftermarket cabs to implement dealers across the US. Custom Products began in Litchfield in 1959 as Reinke Sheet Metal & Manufacturing and has been building tractor cabs since 1962. With the economic rebound occurring in the industries served by the company, market demand is increasing. The expansion is timely to enable the company to accommodate steady increases in sales volume and employment which are forecasted.

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