Echo celebrates Shindaiwa plant opening
Lake Zurich, Ill.-based power equipment manufacturer ECHO Inc. has opened a new 129,000-square-foot warehouse expansion. The new warehouse was built to accommodate additional space requirements resulting from the company’s recent merger with outdoor power equipment manufacturer Shindaiwa Inc., and to support the future growth of the Shindaiwa brand in North America and Latin America.
The warehouse expansion project started in October 2009 and was completed in June. The new warehouse features 12 exterior truck docks, 28-foot ceilings, an insulated roof, energy-efficient indoor motion sensor lighting and clerestory windows to help reduce electrical lighting during daylight hours.
Joining in the ribbon-cutting ceremony were dealers, employees, vendors, Lake Zurich city officials and other guests. The celebration took place in the new facility and was preceded by special remarks from ECHO President Dan Obringer and Lake Zurich Mayor Suzanne Branding. “We consolidated the distribution of Shindaiwa products for North America and Latin America in Lake Zurich last October, but we didn’t have sufficient space in our existing buildings,” Obringer said. “This expansion provides us with the warehouse space we need and allows us to gradually transfer manufacturing of Shindaiwa products from Japan to Lake Zurich so we can manufacture and test all Shindaiwa products here in the same manner as we do for ECHO products.”
ECHO completed the construction of its first building — a 100,000-square-foot facility — in Lake Zurich in 1985. Since then, the company has steadily expanded in size, adding buildings in 1988, 1995 and 2000. With the completion of the new warehouse, the company’s campus now includes more than 540,000 square feet of office, manufacturing and warehouse facilities. ECHO is the largest employer in Lake Zurich, with 700 employees. “Despite these challenging economic times, our company is growing in terms of products, people and sales.” Obringer said. “We are excited to be able to invest in our world-class facilities, our employees and new technologies in ways that add value for our customers.”