Carbondale trailer manufacturing plant closing

The Wells Cargo trailer manufacturing plant in Carbondale, which has been in operation since 2001, will close, and its 50 workers will be offered jobs at the Haulmark plant in the McAdoo Industrial Park.

"We are transitioning from the Carbondale plant to the McAdoo plant, a process that will take about a month to complete," said Tom Frey, president and CEO of Universal Trailers, Cincinnati, which owns Wells Cargo and Haulmark.

The company owns the McAdoo plant, which is larger, and leases the Carbondale one, he said. Both Wells Cargo and Haulmark trailers can be made at the McAdoo plant, he added.

"They (the trailers) are very similar, but Wells Cargo is a little higher priced," Mr. Frey said. "It's kind of like the difference between a Buick and a Chevy. They were the two major, competing brands of cargo trailers."

Universal Trailer purchased Haulmark in 2002, and Wells Cargo about four months ago. Universal also owns the Exis/Sooner brand of horse and livestock trailers, which is located in Oklahoma, and the Fetherlite brand of horse and livestock trailers, and specialty transport trailers, in Iowa.

Haulmark trailers are popular to haul cars and motorcycles, as well as being used as construction trailers.

On its Web site, Wells Cargo, which was the first enclosed trailer company in 1954, lists 650 employees nationwide in six plants, including Carbondale. Its other five plants are in Elkhart, Ind.; Waycross, Ga.; Waco, Texas; Ogden, Utah. and Phoenix.

Contact the writer: jdino@standardspeaker.com