Franklin-based
Steele Solutions Inc., a manufacturer of work platform solutions for distribution facilities that enable sortation and fulfillment functions, has moved its corporate headquarters to South Milwaukee. The company’s headquarters, previously located at 9909 S. 57
th St. in Franklin, is now at 1117 E. Rawson Ave.
Steele Solutions first announced plans to
open a South Milwaukee facility in 2021. The company leased the 209,675-square-foot “Big Muskie” building at 1100 Rawson Ave., stating the move would allow it to expand operations.
The company’s corporate headquarters takes up 285,000 square feet of space at the former 76-acre Bucyrus International campus in downtown South Milwaukee. Bucyrus was acquired by Caterpillar in 2011, and over time Caterpillar has dramatically reduced operations in South Milwaukee. Steele Solutions also has a Milwaukee location at 4107 W. Orchard St.
“Moving our corporate headquarters and structural fabrication to South Milwaukee and the Rawson campus has helped us increase our ability to automate the manufacturing process and align our entire business with our core values,” said
Kevin O’Neill, chief executive officer of Steele Solutions.
The company partners with industry-leading integrators who lead warehouse automation projects for the largest e-commerce retailer in the United States, as well as large parcel providers who continue to invest heavily in their distribution and fulfillment networks in order to keep up with the rise in e-commerce and package volumes.
“Steele Solutions was the first major tenant to lease space at the former Bucyrus campus after Reich Brothers, LLC acquired the property,” said South Milwaukee Mayor
Jim Shelenske. “They were the spark that brought life back to this area of our downtown. Now, over 500,000 square feet of manufacturing space is occupied and we are evaluating a potential residential/commercial project in the former office buildings.”
Last winter, developer Que El-Amin submitted a new redevelopment plan for the Bucyrus International and Caterpillar campus in South Milwaukee.
The project calls for 92 mixed-income apartment and loft-style units – a combination of one 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units – as well as about 22,000 square feet of commercial space. The plan also calls for activated green spaces and two, outdoor art alleys.
