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Park Industries Completes Expansion

Over 22,000 Square Feet Added To Meet Customer Needs

St. Cloud, MN: In October 2004, Park Industries evaluated industry trends and growth projections and began to plan an expansion. “After reviewing our machine sales and Associate growth projections, it became clearly obvious that we needed to expand our facilities and milling capabilities,” comments Pat Mullins, V.P. of Architectural Division.

In early May of 2005, Park Industries broke ground on a 22,000 square foot expansion project. Approximately 40% of the added space is designated for new product development and on-site customer training. The remaining space was added to accommodate a new 5-axis mill and additional office space. An additional 4,100 square foot Research and Development facility has allowed Park to expand their ability to design and test new products. “New product introductions have contributed significantly to Park Industries Growth,” adds Gerry Waletzko, VP of Manufacturing. “In fact, over 60% of our 2005 sales were generated by products that have been introduced in the last five years. As our industry continues to grow, we need to continually work on designing exceptional stone working machines – machines that are high productive and efficient.”

In addition to focusing on new product development, Park Industries has expanded their on-site training facilities, by adding a 4,000 square feet Technical Center. “The Technical Centers allows us to provide on-site, professional, hands-on training,” continues Mullins. “The Technical Center also allows customers to ‘test-drive’ the equipment before they decide to purchase a machine from us.”

The remaining expansion was designed to accommodate a new 5-axis mill and office space. “Our new mill will help us decrease our machining time, allowing us to manufacture machines faster for our customers,” comments Gary Franz, Operations Manager. “Reducing our lead times is one of our major focuses this year. The sooner we can get machines to customers, the sooner our customers can start turning profits.”

With all of this growth, comes the need to add additional Associates. Over 40 offices were added as part of the expansion. Within the last three years, Park Industries has nearly doubled their staff. Today, Park Industries employs over 300 Associates.

“We are pleased with the expansion,” concludes Jack Rhode, Product Team Manager. “The additional space and resources will enhance our ability to better serve our customers.”

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