Kohler Power, manufacturer of engines, generators and uninterruptible power supplies, is expanding its manufacturing operations in Hattiesburg. The project will create 75 jobs.
Kohler Power has had a manufacturing presence in Hattiesburg since 1998. There, the company produces air-cooled engines for a variety of applications, including KOHLER home standby generators. Kohler Power is adding a new residential generator manufacturing line within its existing Hattiesburg operations footprint. The expansion will meet the demand for reliable power, which is escalating throughout the U.S. as a result of homeowners’ dependence on it and the increasing rate of severe weather events.
The new manufacturing line will encompass approximately 80,000-square-feet of one of Kohler’s Hattiesburg facilities. Kohler will be expanding into an additional 187,000-square-foot space to increase its engine warehousing operations in the third quarter of this year, bringing the company’s manufacturing and warehousing space in Hattiesburg to more than 900,000 square feet.
The Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for equipment relocation and the build-out of the manufacturing space for the new generator manufacturing line. The company also qualifies for the Advantage Jobs Rebate Program, which is for eligible businesses that create new jobs exceeding the average annual wage of the state or county in which the company locates or expands. Forrest County and the city of Hattiesburg are providing property tax exemptions in support of the project.
In March 2019, Kohler announced it was consolidating engine manufacturing operations from Wisconsin to Hattiesburg, creating 250 new full-time jobs in addition to the 350 workers already employed there. Kohler has operated in Hattiesburg for more than 20 years, producing engines primarily for residential turf equipment. Since 2018, the company has also produced a variety of commercial engines for both the turf and industrial business sectors.
Kohler Power plans to fill the 75 new generator-manufacturing jobs later this year. The addition of the new jobs will bring the company’s total employment in Hattiesburg to approximately 800.