Oshkosh Defense to build Postal vehicles in South Carolina

DETROIT — Oshkosh Defense will make new delivery vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, creating 1,000 jobs.

The Wisconsin company on Tuesday said it will reconfigure a warehouse with features needed to do large-scale manufacturing. Parts supply companies are expected to create more jobs in the area.

Gov. Henry McMaster said Oshkosh will invest $155 million in Spartanburg County.

In February, Oshkosh Defense won the multibillion-dollar contract to build the Postal Service’s next generation delivery vehicle. The company will build 50,000 to 165,000 van-like vehicles during the next 10 years, replacing a fleet that is up to 3 decades old.

Some of the vehicles will be powered by batteries, while others will have internal combustion engines. The exact mix has not been decided yet.

Production in South Carolina is expected to begin in the summer of 2023, the company said Tuesday.

Oshkosh Defense, which mainly builds military vehicles, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Oshkosh Corp.