‘AMAZING’ GROWTH LEADS TO ADDITIONAL SPACE, STAFF TO SERVE WST CLIENTS
THE NEW SPACE, WHEN COMPLETED IN 2022, IS GOING TO ALLOW WST TO ADD ADDITIONAL CAPACITY TO ALL OUR CORE COMPETENCIES.
When WST added additional space in early 2020, it could not have predicted what would happen next. The space quickly filled, and WST is happy to announce a second expansion in progress.
“What’s so amazing is that over the past 12 months we’ve almost doubled our staffing as we have continued to grow into the last addition,” said Charlie Lenn General Manager. “We expect strong growth to continue as we invest in the latest technologies and smart factory automation. Our goal is not to be the biggest, but to be the best that we can be for our partners.”
WST completed its first expansion in February 2020: a 25,800 square foot addition. The company didn’t have any major plans for the space other than to slowly grow into it. Then in March 2020, unexpected opportunities arose.
“We invested heavily into a new fabrication department and that has subsequently taken off faster than we even imagined it could,” said Charlie. “Plus, we continue to grow our machining business and will soon see tremendous growth in our welding department
This huge growth is calling for a second expansion. Construction began in late October, with the excavation and ground breaking and the team hopes to pour footings in February. The steel for the building is scheduled to arrive in April 2022 and WST anticipates taking occupancy in August 2022.
“In the meantime, we have had to start getting creative with our space,” said Charlie. “Our new Bystronic 15kw 4020 with automation will install in November and the automation will arrive and install after the new year. We have made plans to store some of our raw castings and other misc. items off site to create additional manufacturing space to allow us to add new equipment in the short term.”
The new space, when completed in 2022, is going to allow WST to add additional capacity to all our core competencies, including:
CNC Machining
Laser cutting
Press brake forming
It will also allow WST to grow its production robotic welding capabilities. For this additional expansion, the WST team will need to continue to grow.
“We will continue to seek skilled CNC Machinists, laser and press brake operators, robotic and manual welders, as well as programmers and engineers to support our growth,” said Charlie. “This not only allows us to perform more value-added services to our existing customers, but also create additional capacity for growth and diversification to our customer base.”