General Kinematics is expanding its Crystal Lake, IL, manufacturing plant with a 42,000-sq.ft. addition, to address increasing demand for its vibratory machines, as well as a more extensive range of equipment for mining, foundry, and recycling businesses.
A groundbreaking event was staged at General Kinematics’ headquarters site in August, and construction is expected to be complete in Q1 2023.
“The expansion of our North American manufacturing facility has been needed for a while,” GK president Tom Musschoot explained. “We can handle some of our larger products, such as STM-SERIES® Two-Mass mining screens, FINGER-SCREEN™ recycling screens, and large rotary and vibratory drums for foundry applications. It will further expand our capabilities for our Tuffman and GK Systems brands.”Tuffman is a manufacturer of material recovery equipment, including sorting stations, trommel screens, crossbelt magnets, and conveyors.
GK Systems handles end-to-end management of complete foundry system projects, of any size greenfield or brownfield installations, coordinating with equipment OEMs, partners, and suppliers worldwide.
The new workspace will have high bay ceilings that will allow cranes with 80-ton lifting capacity, as well space to install more new capital equipment, and increased material storage.
Jim Egan, General Kinematics’ vice president for North American Sales, added: “With customer demand for larger, heavier, and more complex units, we identified a significant need for more space and increased capabilities. To stay competitive, we must invest in the right technology to make us as efficient as possible.”
Noting that GK will hire 15 new employees to support its increased throughput, CFO John Koufis detailed that the expansion “validates the strategic investment in our people and process during the pandemic-impacted years of 2020 and 2021. The addition to the manufacturing facility, and the resultant forthcoming new jobs, significantly increases our production capacity and improves the overall flow of our production processes.”
Egan concluded: “We see multiple positive outcomes from this investment. Our customers know we are committed to solving their production challenges and our employees see the investment as a commitment to providing them with the best equipment to complete the job safely and efficiently.”