Another major expansion for Kohler Power

Kohler announced a renovation of its Hattiesburg, Miss., facility that will provide expanded capacity for assembly of the company’s air-cooled home standby generator sets.

Less than two months after announcing a significant expansion of its industrial generator manufacturing facility in Mosel, Wis., Kohler Power has announced another major capital investment, this time targeted toward home standby generator assembly at its facility in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Kohler has begun renovating and repurposing 80,000 sq. ft. of the existing Hattiesburg facility to focus on assembly of air-cooled home standby generators from 6 to 20 kW. The project is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year.

“With this expansion, we will more than triple our current capacity for residential standby generators and take further advantage of our world-class engine manufacturing facility that we more than doubled in the last two years,” said Brian Melka, group president – Kohler Power. “We are committed to supporting our valued dealer network and delighting the end customers that we serve.”

Kohler has had a presence in Hattiesburg since 1998, where it produces air-cooled engines for a variety of applications, including the company’s range of home standby generators. The expansion comes as Kohler has seen an increase in demand for home standby power, driven by an increasing rate of severe weather events, along with more people working from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kyle Brandemuhl

“This expansion allows us to get closer to our customers and responding with quicker delivery,” said Kyle Brandemuhl, general manager – residential and power products at Kohler, adding that a high concentration of Kohler’s home generator business are customers in the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions.

“Over these last couple years, we have seen demand for residential products skyrocket due to a number of factors, including a record hurricane season in 2020, the Texas winter storms, increasing wildfires in the western U.S., along with the pandemic sending a high number of people home for work and school,” Brandemuhl said. “An increasing number of consumers are speaking with their wallets – prolonged power outages are no longer acceptable due to severe weather events and an aging power grid.”

With the company having already ramped up production in the current manufacturing sites in Saukville and Mosel, Wis., Kohler said it expects Hattiesburg to help meet expected weather-driven demand. “Hurricane season starts June 1,” Brandemuhl said, “and is a stark reminder that our lives are significantly disrupted when power is lost – it is that essential. An automatic home standby generator is your best defense against a power outage to help ensure safety and peace of mind.”

www.KohlerGenerators.com