Wynright, a wholly-owned subsidiary of material handling giant Daifuku, says it aims to double sales after it opens its new $26 million manufacturing facility at the end of this year.
Wynright plans to expand its North American US manufacturing capabilities in the Greater Chicago area. The company will consolidate its existing factories in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, and Oak Lawn, Illinois into a new, larger facility in Hobart, Indiana, in phases, by the end of December 2019.
In line with the completion of the new factory, the existing factories in Elk Grove and Oak Lawn in Illinois will close. Daifuku Wynright has offered all employees at both sites the opportunity to continue with the company at the new facility. More than 80 percent of current employees have confirmed their intention to do so.
Kevin Ambrose, president and CEO of Wynright, says: “Centering on the products manufactured at the Hobart Factory, we plan to double sales over the next five years.
“We are thrilled we were able to find a suitable facility in the Greater Chicagoland area. Being able to retain and consolidate so many of our skilled, hard-working employees from our existing sites in Elk Grove and Oak Lawn is key to the expansion of our business.”
To find the location that would meet the need for expansion, Wynright conducted a long and thorough selection process, driven by the following criteria:
- Ample space to expand from 160,000 sq ft to 320,000 sq ft, with purpose-built, state-of-the-art manufacturing complex and office facility with enough land to allow us to double in size again as projected
- Location in Greater Chicagoland area
- Preservation of existing jobs
- Capability to reduce operating expenses by consolidating two manufacturing operations into one
- Minimal disruption during the transition
- High-quality schools, affordable housing, and overall low cost of living
Daifuku Wynright focused the facilities search on the Greater Chicagoland area, seeking maximum proximity to our current locations and easy access to interstate highways.
In the process, it evaluated nine properties in Illinois: three in Bolingbrook, three in Romeoville, Hazel Crest, New Lenox, and Sauk Village; and seven just over the border in Indiana, including two in Hobart, and others in Merrillville, Crown Point, Munster, Hammond, and East Chicago.
Ambrose says: “The Hobart location met our major concerns best. It is still in the Greater Chicagoland area. It had a 44 acre plot of land that could support the space we needed. It has an excellent school system, affordable housing; a low overall cost of living, and a large and talented manufacturing labor pool.”
Transition of employees from the Elk Grove and Oak Lawn plants, will begin in August. Wynright Daifuku anticipates also the need to fill administrative, engineering and manufacturing positions locally, creating up to 582 new jobs in Indiana by the end of 2021.
