Mining belt conveyor maintenance, repair, cleaning and fastening solutions major Flexco recently announced that its Grand Rapids, Michigan facility will be expanding its operation and moving to a new location. The company, which operates at 1995 Oak Industrial Parkway NE in Grand Rapids, will be moving to 1920 Northridge Drive NW in Walker, Michigan in early 2021, increasing its current 18-acre footprint to 36 acres.
The facility will be 288,000 total sq ft, with 65,000 sq ft of that being office, wellness, and training space, and the rest dedicated to manufacturing. Flexco’s most recent West Michigan expansion involved the purchase of a building down the block from the current building to house its marketing and engineering departments, so the move will reunite the two buildings.
“The growing global demand for Flexco products has driven the need for a larger, fully integrated facility to support a wider range of products, world class manufacturing technology, and increased support staff for Flexco customers around the world looking to improve their unit handling and bulk handling conveyor systems,” Flexco President and CEO Richard White said. “The Walker location allows us to bring all of our resources back under one roof while providing additional land for future expansion.”
Construction of the new facility began this month and is expected to be completed in early 2021. The company is planning a groundbreaking ceremony on November 18. Two Grand Rapids-based operations will be a part of the design-build team, with Pioneer Construction serving as the project’s general contractor and Progressive AE serving as the project’s architect.
“Flexco is growing and that is exciting for all of us,” said Tim Schowalter, President and CEO of Pioneer Construction. “They continue to invest in West Michigan and we are proud to help them expand and consolidate their resources within this new development.” All 175 current Grand-Rapids employees are expected to move to the new building. While the relocation itself won’t immediately result in any new positions, the company anticipates a 30% increase in headcount based on projected sales growth.
“When completed, the new, state-of-the-art facility in Walker allows the company to remain anchored in the region and will provide direct access to the highly skilled and talented workforce that resides here,” White said. “The Walker facility aligns with investments Flexco is making in other parts of our business to provide our employees a safe, comfortable and collaborative work environment to create, execute, and deliver on our commitment to our customers around the world.”
Flexco’s US locations include its Downers Grove, Illinois headquarters and Grand Rapids, Michigan office and manufacturing facility. Flexco also operates subsidiaries in Australia, Chile, China, England, Germany, India, Mexico, Singapore and South Africa, marketing its broad line of products through a worldwide network of distributors.
