"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
07/29/2014 at 15:31 • Filed to: None
2
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"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
07/29/2014 at 15:31 • Filed to: None | 2
| 12 |
I'm glad you asked, because it truly is an interesting story. No, really, it is. This parking lot once belonged to The Tyler Penn Foundry,a component of McWane Inc.'s Tyler Pipe Co. The Tyler Penn Foundry produced cast-iron pipes and fittings in Macungie, PA. In November of 2005, a large scale industrial fire practically leveled the facility.
Solid records are hard to find, but it is believed that around 13 fire companies were called in to deal with the blaze. Initial plans were for McWane Inc. to rebuild the facility, however, they changed their plans by April of 2006. The foundry would not be rebuilt, and the land would remain vacant.
Are you still here? Great! Lets switch gears to Mack Trucks. During the early and mid 2000s, Mack Trucks were built in both Macungie, PA, and in a plant in Virginia. In 2008, a restructuring plan was put into effect, which ultimately led to the production of all Mack Truck products to be moved to the Macungie Facility by 2009. Demand was on the rise, so Mack Trucks increased production and hired more employees. Everything was looking great, until a problem became apparent: they were running out of space to store the production output at their facility. Luckily, a simple solution was available; the old Tyler Penn Foundry was still sitting vacant, and was less than a mile away from Mack Trucks' Macungie Manufacturing Plant.
The result; space to park 400+ newly built Mack Trucks until they are shipped, and a use for a vacant property that had been sitting for several years.
thebigbossyboss
> Boxer_4
07/29/2014 at 15:36 |
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Good investigating. Makes enough sense...there is a reason vacant land is often turned into parking.
It requires almost zero capital expenditures from the owner of said vacant land.
Cé hé sin
> Boxer_4
07/29/2014 at 18:27 |
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I thought Mack were Volvo's US division now? They still use both names?
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Boxer_4
> Cé hé sin
07/29/2014 at 18:36 |
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Mack and Volvo both have US divisions, and both names are still used. They both use engines and transmissions produced by Volvo Powertrain at Volvo's Hagerstown, Maryland facility, however.
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Cé hé sin
> Boxer_4
07/29/2014 at 18:51 |
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...google, google..yes, so I see. They even have Volvo's seemingly wonderful iShift transmission under another name and I suppose the engines are the same too. Interestingly the Swedes are keeping their 750 bhp engine to themselves!
desertdog5051
> Boxer_4
07/29/2014 at 19:02 |
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Interesting story. Is that 140 or 152 pound rail in the opening pic? I see it has double shoulder plates but only single spikes. Help. ( :)
ranwhenparked
> Cé hé sin
07/29/2014 at 19:34 |
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They're a Volvo subsidiary.
4age20vsilvertop
> Cé hé sin
07/30/2014 at 07:36 |
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Mhhhhhhmm Volvo.
Duketronic
> Boxer_4
07/30/2014 at 16:28 |
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I saw this while visiting Macungie for the 2014 ATCA Classic Truck show. From what I could tell the lot was wide open and anyone and the brother could wander on through. Of course I didn't. That would be wrong. :X
CyanogenModFTW
> Boxer_4
07/31/2014 at 19:23 |
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So does Volvo truck division fall under the same new ownership as Volvo cars, or are they separate. I was just wondering if Mack trucks were now Chinese owned or still Sweden based? Just curious.
I have trouble following all these manufacturers these days.
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Boxer_4
> CyanogenModFTW
07/31/2014 at 19:55 |
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After some quick research: Volvo Trucks is still owned by AB Volvo, and is based in Sweden. Volvo cars was owned by AB Volvo until 1999, when they were purchased by Ford.
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CyanogenModFTW
> Boxer_4
08/01/2014 at 02:20 |
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I know, in retrospect, I could have used Google....
Sorry for the bother, but thank you for the reply!
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Boxer_4
> CyanogenModFTW
08/01/2014 at 13:09 |
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I enjoy questions like these; I get to learn something new that I otherwise wouldn't have sought out. It hadn't crossed my mind what the current status was of Volvo Trucks' ownership.
I also discovered that AB Volvo was originally founded as a subsidiary of SKF (the bearing manufacturer), and that Volvo means "I roll" in Latin.