Polar Corp., a St. Cloud-based tank-trailer manufacturing, parts, and service organization, said Friday it has expanded its workforce and invested in new capital equipment as part of a larger move to reduce production lead times and build after-sale support for customers that transport fuel, chemicals, propane, food, and other products.
Polar Corp. is made up of three companies. Polar Tank Trailer manufactures tank trailers. Polar Service Centers provide tank trailer parts, repair, and service. Quality Trailer Product manufactures and distributes light and heavy-duty trailer components.
The company said it has hired 500 employees in the last nine months, in part to staff expanded production at its plants in Opole and Holdingford, Minn. and Springfield, Mo. Capital investments include buying precision manufacturing tools and software for three-dimensional mechanical design and digital prototyping. The new equipment reduces the time and cost of product development and improves coordination between the customer and Polar's engineering and production operations.
The company also has increased the number of service centers from 20 to 29 in 2010 and plans to add 15 to 25 more in the next 24 months.
