To accommodate its growing extrusion business, Graham Engineering Corp. has expanded its York, Pa., headquarters. The company plans to consolidate production there, while maintaining a satellite office near Ashaway, R.I., where the American Kuhne extruder manufacturing plant has operated.
"Continued growth in our extrusion business prompted this decision, a logical next step," says CEO David Schroeder. "We are simply outgrowing the Ashaway facility, which houses our extruder assembly."
With the move, the Rhode Island manufacturing plant will close, and employees may be offered the option to relocate to York.
Graham Engineering and American Kuhne, along with sister company Welex, are part of the Graham Group of companies. Together, they offer blow molding and extrusion equipment. The group's products include blow molding machines and accumulator heads, screws and extruders, and equipment for lightweighting. Graham Engineering also provides retrofitting services.
VP and Chief Marketing Officer Gina Haines says once the company completes the move next year, it will be able to offer customers an even higher level of service. The company's York facility was enlarged by 35 percent in 2013, when Welex's sheet-extrusion brand relocated from Greenville, N.C. The plant now measures 150,000 square feet, providing room for testing and training — functions that could not be accommodated at the 26,000-square-foot Ashaway facility. For the first time, Haines says, Graham Engineering will be able to perform testing and design and develop extruders all under one roof. The company and its customers also will benefit from greater opportunities for knowledge sharing among employees.
"We'll gain efficiencies by not having to handle equipment twice, and also save time in transit," Haines says.
Along with expanding its York facility, Haines says the company has made other investments to accommodate additional production. The improvements include upgrades to production flow, utilities and materials handling.
