This article was originally released by WIKA USA
With the increasing demand for its load pins, shear beams, and other force products, WIKA Sensor Technology has built a new, much larger home just a few miles from its current facility in central Ohio.
Sometimes 14,000 sq ft of cobbled-together spaces just isn’t enough, especially if you’re a global leader in force and pressure sensors. That’s why WIKA broke ground at the end of 2021 for a 20,000 sq ft manufacturing facility for force instruments.
On November 2, 2021, a brisk sunny day in central Ohio, representatives from JobsOhio, local and state governments, WIKA USA and WIKA Sensor Technology, and Ferguson Construction donned hard hats, picked up shovels, and ceremoniously dug into the dirt at the Creekside Business Park, located in Lewis Center just north of Columbus. Among those cheering the corporate groundbreaking were the 30-plus employees of WIKA Sensor Technology.
The facility was completed in December 2022. Not only is it larger than the current plant located six miles to the south, but it is better optimized for designing and manufacturing advanced force and pressure sensors.
The Force of Economic Growth
Force measurement is an integral part of many essential industries. Load cells and load pins are key components of machine building and automation, building construction, industrial vehicles, working mobile machines, shipping, aviation, and aerospace. Force transducers monitor the effect on load-bearing infrastructure like suspension bridges and hydropower plants. Strain sensors of all types simplify weighing, from grain in a silo to filling machines in the food & beverage and pharmaceutical sectors.
To keep up with increasing demands for state-of-the-art force instruments, WIKA Sensor Technology had to expand and streamline its production capacity. There is also the need for more workers in the new facility. In Q1 2022, hiring will begin for 15 new manufacturing positions. With land, construction, and job creation, WIKA’s investment in the greater Columbus area totals $5.4 million.
But the growth doesn’t stop there. The new Creekside campus covers 14 acres, giving WIKA Sensor Technology the capacity to enlarge the facility five-fold – along with the potential to add even more well-paying jobs.
“Expanding our physical footprint and local workforce in central Ohio is key for WIKA to keep pace with our growth, particularly in aerospace,” said Steve McCullough, general manager of WIKA Sensor Technology. “This new facility will position us to better serve our key market areas in the US and around the world.”
Congratulations to our friends at WIKA! To learn more about this type of build and construction process, contact a member of our Columbus Regional Team.