Fontaine Modification is expanding one of its highest-volume and most-efficient truck modification centers, the company announced Tuesday. Work has begun on a 40,000-sq.-ft., addition to the existing 27,000-sq.-ft., facility in Laredo, Texas.
Fontaine Modification is an engineering-driven provider of post-production truck services for original equipment manufacturers, dealers, and fleets. Its Laredo location handles trucks that are assembled at Freightliner and Navistar plants in Mexico. As these trucks cross the border, they are all processed through a marshalling yard for delivery within the United States and Canada. Fontaine’s Laredo operation is connected to this yard, enabling Fontaine to work on the trucks while they remain in the OEM’s delivery system, the company says.
The center, led since 2018 by Juan Salazar, director of operations, runs two full-time shifts of engineers and assemblers to process 1,500 trucks per month.
“Traffic through the Laredo modification center has increased dramatically and is starting to strain our current building’s capacity,” says Jamil Young, president, Fontaine Modification Medium & Heavy Truck Operations. “Only through the focus and dedication of our incredible Laredo team have we been able to continue to see the tremendous volumes of trucks we see there. The additional production footprint provided by the expansion will bring much-needed relief to space constraints, allowing us to continue to improve efficiency, while the addition of full-service paint booth will contribute to expanding our service offerings.”
Fontaine says the Laredo operation has traditionally focused on high-volume fleet services. Once the expansion is complete, Fontaine anticipates offering heavier vocational truck modifications, as well.
Work is expected to be complete in early 2023. The facility will remain open and at full production throughout construction, the company says.
