Keep on truckin’: Daimler expanding big-time in Madras

Daimler Trucks North America and Madras-area officials gathered on a breezy, chilly Monday to break ground on an $18 million expanded truck-testing track and facility area leaders hope will bring some added sizzle to the local economy

The upgraded research and development facility will bring more than 30 new jobs to the area, the company said in a news release. The expansion will add about 30 jobs at the site, company officials said, reiterating their announcement made last fall at the Airshow of the Cascades.

The ceremony took place Monday morning under a fluttering white tent. Matthew Markstaller, property building manager;Roger Nielsen, chief operating officer; Wilfried Achenback, senior VP of engineering, and Madras Mayor Royce Embanks made brief statements before the groundbreaking took place.

“Trucks are really the lifeblood of the U.S. economy,” Markstaller said. “Everything you order, everything you buy in the store is on a truck, at one point or the other.”

Nielsen said Daimler is part of a world-renowned brand from Germany, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz and Smart Cars. Here in the U.S., the company was originally known as Freightliner, and has been around the Pacific Northwest for decades.

“We started in a garage in northwest Portland building trucks for a little trucking company, and we’ve grown since then,” Nielsen said.

Embanks, the last official to speak, talked about how amazing this expansion and upgrade is for the area.

“We’re hoping for some synergy between this and other businesses that will come to the Madras area and hopefully to our industrial park,” the mayor said.

“If a city isn’t growing, it’s dying. Cities need to grow. And in order to grow, they need more businesses,” Embanks said.

Here’s some of what Daimler Trucks North America had to say in its news release Monday:

DTNA produces Class 6-8 vehicles under the Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses and Freightliner Custom Chassis nameplates

DTNA is committed to providing the best value to its customers through ongoing testing, research and development, which is supported by the Madras facility.

The track is designed to allow engineers to simulate a typical vehicle’s full service life, traveling over a variety of road surfaces, in less than six months. The proximity of the Madras facility to DTNA’s Portland headquarters enables engineers in the office and in the field to work more easily on projects together.

“Daimler Trucks North America produces the best commercial vehicles on the road, and in order to continue that tradition, we must have the best research and testing facilities in the industry,” said Dr. Wilfried Achenbach, senior vice president, Engineering & Technology, Daimler Trucks North America.

“DTNA has a long history of engineering excellence, which is made possible by state-of-the-art facilities like the one here in Madras. We look forward to completing this project and getting this facility up and running.”

“What a great opportunity to have Daimler, a world-renowned and respected company, invest in the Madras community and the greater Jefferson County area. This is a partnership that is more than 40 years mature, and the City of Madras is excited to see this relationship develop long into the future with the groundbreaking of this expansion project,” said Mayor Royce Embanks.

“On behalf of the Madras City Council, we’d also like to thank the other members on our team; Business Oregon, Oregon Department of Transportation, Jefferson County and EDCO in Jefferson County.”

Construction of the facility, which will include a test track and several buildings, will begin this winter and will be completed in early 2017. Kirby Nagelhout Construction out of Bend has been selected as the general contractor in charge of the project. The buildings will combine for more than 31,000 square feet and the two test track loops will cover more than 16 acres.

About Daimler Trucks North America

Daimler Trucks North America LLC, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets commercial vehicles under the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. Daimler Trucks North America is a Daimler company, the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer.

A spokesperson from Daimler expects construction will be completed by this time next year.