Heavy industry: Volvo bulks up the state's manufacturing sector by making construction equipment in the mountains.

• Author: Murray, Arthur O.
• Position: PICTURE THIS

At the Volvo Construction Equipment factory in Asheville, they do things big. As in a just-expanded 400,000-square-foot factory. As in building excavators 36 feet long and nearly 12 feet wide that weigh up to 87,540 pounds and cost nearly $300,000. The factory has been here since 1977, when Clark Equipment opened it. Sweden's Volvo Group bought it in 1987 and made it North American headquarters for its construction-equipment subsidiary. Its other U.S. plant is in Ship-pensburg, Pa., where it builds road-construction machinery. Until last year, the Asheville factory built only wheel loaders.

About 300 work there, an increase of about 100 since the decision was made to expand in 2006. "We started preproduction work in September for the excavators. The first one rolled off the line in November," says Dave Million, the plant's general manager. That one was an EC160C hydraulic excavator, one of four models--the company makes 11--assembled there. The vehicles are distributed in the U.S. and Canada. "We're training people as we go. By the time we're done ramping up in April, it will take less than five days to build one." The way they're...