polaris opens new rampd center
Amsnow
Polaris celebrated its latest expansion June 24 with the grand opening of a new research and development center in Wyoming, Minn.
The Minnesota motorsports manufacturer's new facility will test Polaris innovations for its Victory motorcycles, ATVs, and Ranger utility vehicle products. There are no current plans for any snowmobile R&D to occur at the Wyoming facility, and Polaris reps assured us that no snowmobile jobs are being moved or cut from the Roseau plant. The new $35.5 million Wyoming facility will be home to almost 200 employees by December with more jobs expected in the future.
The plant currently has at least 6 dyno-rooms or 'cells,' 12 separate mini-garages for material fabrication, assembly and testing (30-50 total are expected), and the site has its own VDS machines (Vehicle Design Simulator), which re-create real-life stresses on machines so that engineers can study the effects on parts.
Electrical, structural, power-train and materials engineering and testing also will all be done here. Prototype fabrication will be conducted in Polaris' top-secret "skunk works," where the newest products will be built. Creation and testing of Polaris engines also will be done here.
Polaris CEO Tom Tiller spoke at the opening and discussed Polaris commitment to their ATV and Victory lines as well as Polaris' loyalty to Minnesota. Gov. Tim Pawlenty also spoke and thanked Polaris for choosing to locate the new plant in Minnesota. "Polaris is bringing the kind of jobs and high-quality work we need for Minnesota's economy to grow," the governor said.
The new plant is energy efficient and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. Pollution and energy waste from the site are minimized, and indoor pollution is managed as well. The Wyoming plant also is a wireless facility and is interconnected to its other plants so employees can use the same technology wherever they may be working.