Half a Million Reefers and Counting
Utility Closes in on a Major Milestone
Some time in the fall of 2017, Utility will manufacture its 500,000th refrigerated van. It is a significant event for the company — an achievement that required an ongoing commitment to quality and innovation, the attention to detail by every worker at both the Marion, Virginia and Clearfield, Utah reefer plants, and the ongoing loyalty of countless customers. Since 1994, Utility has been the #1 manufacturer of refrigerated vans in the Americas, and the 3000R® continues to maintain its industry leadership.
“When our Clearfield plant recently manufactured its 250,000th reefer, we decided to add up the total number of reefers manufactured throughout our history. The number turned out to be over 490,000 refrigerated vans. With what we have in the pipeline, we will hit half a million reefers sometime near the end of this year,” said Craig Bennett, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Utility Trailer Manufacturing, Co.
Utility currently operates two facilities in North America dedicated to the manufacture of the top-selling 3000R refrigerated van — Marion and Clearfield. In 1965, Utility opened its Clearfield, Utah plant at Freeport Center. This plant closed in 2001 after building nearly 100,000 reefers when a retooled, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility was completed nearby. The new Clearfield plant was designed specifically to build the completely reengineered Utility 3000R reefer.
The Marion facility opened in 1989 to meet increased market demand for Utility’s refrigerated vans. After the new Clearfield facility opened, Utility expanded its Marion plant as well. With production at capacity, Marion is nearing its own manufacturing milestone.
Prior to these two dedicated reefer manufacturing facilities, Utility also manufactured its refrigerated van products in City of Industry, California and El Paso, Texas.
“We are proud of the 3000R and its unsurpassed performance in the field, but we are also gratified by the continued trust of our customers. Our promise to each of them as we look to the next half million is to continue to improve and innovate our reefer design,” added Mr. Bennett.
