Mack Trucks has begun construction on a new 36,870-square-foot addition to its Engineering Development and Test Center in Allentown, Pa.

The EDTC, which has been the center of all vehicle development and testing activities for Mack since it opened in 1975, currently houses about 345 Mack engineering and purchasing personnel. When the $5 million addition is completed, about 512 people will be located in the expanded 158,870-square-foot facility. The additional personnel will move to the EDTC from a leased annex building, and from Mack World Headquarters. Mack plans to relocate its "3P" group -- Product Programs, Product Development and Purchasing -- to the new facility.
The EDTC compound houses styling and modeling studios, a fabrication area where technicians create new chassis components, a component and vehicle testing area featuring the latest in computer simulation technologies, an environmental testing chamber, a service area, a three-quarter-mile test track, and two off-road durability courses.