GRAND RAPIDS, MI  – Stiles Machinery Inc. was pleased to attend the groundbreaking for the new Weeke North America (WNA) facility in Grand Rapids, MI. The ceremonial event officially kicked off construction on the new 100,000 sq.ft. facility, just north of WNA’s current location at 4470 44th

(Pictured in the photo from L to R: Russ Suor of Stiles, Christian Vollmers of Stiles, Robert Grooters of Robert Grooters Development Company, and Matthäus Schmid of Weeke North America.)

Street SE, Grand Rapids. Robert W. Grooters Development Company will oversee the project which is expected to finish early this fall.

Weeke North America, which produces the Weeke Vantech line of CNC routers and the ABD CNC drilling and dowel machines, currently resides in a 30,000 square feet building within the same business park where the new facility will be erected. The new space is designed for efficient material flow from the rear of the plant to the front, utilizing overhead cranes to help move and position the heavy equipment through the production line, and allowing additional room for expanded assembly stations. The building will also include 6,000 square feet of office space including a full break room, showers and lockers for employees.

“Manufacturing is coming back to the US. We’re anticipating a lot of growth in the next few years”, explains Matthäus Schmid, Vice President of Operations at Weeke North America. “We needed more space for our people, for storage and more room to efficiently build our machines. This new building gives us a chance to do that and to open our doors to showcase the quality of machines that are being engineered and built in America.”

The expansion has been five years in the making. Upon completion, the building will offer easier accessibility and a more engaging place for customers to visit. Construction and move-in is expected to take 6-8 months with an anticipated completion for October 2015 in which WNA plans to host a Grand Opening event to celebrate the occasion.

Weeke North America was established in 2009 as a joint venture between the HOMAG Group, Stiles and Weeke Maschinenbau, a subsidiary of the HOMAG Group. Stiles has been an exclusive distributor in the United States for almost 30 years.

About Stiles Machinery Inc.
For 50 years, Stiles has been helping manufacturers succeed. As the largest supplier of quality machinery, Stiles provides a Total Production Solutions approach by also offering equipment integration, financial services, education, service and parts. By having a wealth of solutions whether defined as people, products or services, Stiles merges the best thinking and the best ideas into a solution that works best for their customers. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., Stiles has regional offices in High Point, North Carolina; Toms River, New Jersey; Coppell, Texas; and Rancho Cucamonga, California. Stiles is a proud member of the HOMAG Group, a global leader in the production of industrial machines for manufacturing.