In a statement, the company said the new shop in Clinton, Tenn., is more than three times the size of its Knoxville facility. The shop is equipped with high-capacity overhead cranes, a 280-foot girder table and an automated gantry welder.

“We will primarily be focused on the fabrication of the bridge and the full assembly of the overhead cranes, including completion of the factory acceptance test with the customer before shipment,” said Ace executive vice president Kevin Beavers.  

The company said steel mills and the aerospace sector will be the primary drivers of business in the immediate term, although Ace remains active in a myriad of heavy-duty marketplaces.

“This is an exciting new dawn for the company. Inevitably, we, like many others, have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, but requests for quotations are picking up, and enhanced manufacturing capacity will help us respond to that demand with world-class production capability and reduced lead times,” Beavers added.