Oshkosh to build postal trucks down south

Oshkosh Defense will build a new facility in Spartanburg, S.C., as the site of manufacturing of its Next Generation Delivery Vehicle for the U.S. Postal Service.

Oshkosh Defense announced it has selected Spartanburg, S.C. to be the home of its efforts to build the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) for the U.S. Postal Service. The NGDV is the USPS’s first large-scale fleet procurement in three decades.

The company announced it will open a dedicated facility in Spartanburg, and it expects to hire over 1000 local team members at the facility. On-site supply chain partners are expected to have additional hiring needs, the company said.

The USPS selected Oshkosh Defense for the multi-billion-dollar NGDV contract in February 2021 at the end of a competitive process that began in 2015. The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract provides for the delivery of between 50,000 and 165,000 vehicles over a period of 10 years.

The vehicles will replace the existing fleet of delivery vehicles, many of which have been in service for more than 30 years. Oshkosh said its solution will provide a modern fleet of both zero-emission battery electric vehicles (BEV) and fuel-efficient low-emission internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, with the option of producing any combination of models.

“Oshkosh Corp.’s advanced engineering capabilities have been driving the company for more than a century,” said John Pfeifer, president and chief executive officer, Oshkosh Corp. “That innovation has included a commitment to engineering and delivering a wide range of electric vehicles featuring new sustainable technologies. Now the company’s innovative NGDV will bring these sustainable technologies into more American neighborhoods.”

Oshkosh Defense plans to repurpose an expansive warehouse facility in Spartanburg with the features needed to accommodate a large-scale manufacturing operation that meets the technical requirements of producing the USPS vehicles. Production of the NGDVs is expected to begin summer 2023.

“We’re proud to bring this historic undertaking to Spartanburg,” said John Bryant, executive vice president, Oshkosh Corp. and president, Oshkosh Defense. “Upstate South Carolina has a skilled workforce and a proven history in advanced automotive manufacturing — it’s the perfect place to produce the NGDV. More importantly, we know the people of Spartanburg take pride in their work and their community. What we build together here will reach every home in the country.”