Oshkosh evaluates job needs after $1B contract; Oakes plant still closing

MILWAUKEE (AP) Oshkosh Corporation says it's too early to know how many jobs its new billion-dollar military contract will create, but the number is "significant." The contract awarded this week to the Wisconsin company calls for more than 2,200 bomb-resistant all-terrain trucks. The Defense Department says it urgently needs strong protective trucks that can maneuver Afghanistan's rocky terrain.

Robert Bohn (BON') is Oshkosh's chairman and chief executive. He says the company is evaluating its production and employee needs this week.

The truck's cabs will be built at JLG, an Oshkosh subsidiary in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania. Bohn says an unknown number of laid-off workers there will be brought back. But the company still plans to close its plant in the southeastern North Dakota town of Oakes.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 07-02-09 0521CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list