Producer
Pierce Manufacturing
Largest US manufacturer of custom fire apparatus (pumpers, aerials, rescue trucks, tankers, quints). Subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation. Appleton WI plant produces approximately 30% of all US fire apparatus. Antitrust scrutiny in 2023 for market concentration with REV Group and Rosenbauer.
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Inputs supplied
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Goods downstream
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Facilities
0
Stories
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2 inputs Pierce Manufacturing supplies
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Municipal Fire Apparatus (Pumpers, Aerials, Rescues)
65%Oshkosh Parent — Military + Airport + Refuse
35%
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Did you know2023
Pierce Manufacturing's parent, Oshkosh Corporation, is simultaneously the maker of US municipal fire trucks (Pierce), the US Army's Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV — which replaced the Humvee), airport crash fire tenders (Oshkosh ARFF), and aerial work platforms (JLG). Pierce builds custom fire apparatus for city fire departments across North America — vehicles designed to save civilian lives. Oshkosh Defense builds the JLTV with blast-protected V-shaped hull and advanced roll cage for combat — vehicles designed to protect soldiers. These products are manufactured by divisions of the same Appleton, Wisconsin corporate parent, using shared manufacturing platforms, supply chains, and engineering teams. A Wisconsin specialty truck company simultaneously equips US cities with emergency response infrastructure AND equips the US Army with combat light tactical vehicles.
Oshkosh Defense (Oshkosh Corporation) ↗Capacity2023
Pierce Manufacturing faces a structural supply chain vulnerability that affects all US fire apparatus manufacturers: lead times of 12-18 months from order to delivery for custom apparatus. A typical fire truck is built-to-order with extensive customization (pump size, aerial height, tank volume, equipment compartments, chassis type) — virtually no inventory exists. When a city fire department places an order, the lead time means any equipment that is destroyed in service (fire accidents, apparatus fires) leaves a department shorthanded for over a year. Post-COVID supply chain disruptions extended lead times to 24+ months as aluminum, stainless steel, pump components, and electronic controls became scarce. The same supply chain constraints that affect passenger car manufacturing hit emergency response infrastructure — but without the option of operating emergency response services at reduced capacity while waiting for replacement vehicles.
Pierce Manufacturing Inc. ↗Origin2023
Pierce Manufacturing was founded in 1913 in Appleton, Wisconsin as a maker of general-purpose truck bodies. The company began building fire apparatus bodies in the 1940s and by the 1970s-1980s had become a major US fire truck manufacturer. Oshkosh Corporation acquired Pierce in 1996. Pierce's Appleton, Wisconsin facility grew to become the largest US fire apparatus production plant, producing approximately 30% of all fire trucks sold in the United States annually. The US fire apparatus industry faced antitrust scrutiny in 2023 as the market concentrated between three major players: Pierce/Oshkosh, REV Group (American LaFrance, E-ONE, Ferrara), and Rosenbauer Americas. These three manufacturers supply virtually all US municipal fire departments.
Pierce Manufacturing Inc. (Oshkosh Corporation) ↗