BROADVIEW, IL—Graymills recently moved its manufacturing and office space from Chicago to 2601 South 25th Ave. in Broadview, IL. The new location provides a more modern work environment, collaboration spaces, room for growth, and convenient access to major roadways.
According to Jim DePhillips, director of operations, the move was a long time coming. The company realized it needed to expand its production capacity to keep up with its customers’ businesses and was limited in its current facility. Timing was based on market conditions—an opportunity arose where an offer was made for the existing space that made financial sense.
Graymills moved from two multilevel buildings, one of which was built in 1870, divided by the El tracks. Employees had to go outside to get from one area of the facility to another. This created a logistical nightmare. The new facility is one level with significantly more space—125,000 sq. ft., compared to 90,000—in an open layout
The company completely renovated the new structure to best suit its needs. It rearranged departments to reduce the time parts spend travelling through the line to eliminate bottlenecks and streamline the production process. Now, assembly follows a logical order for greater efficiency. Lines are closer together, as well, making it easier to have line changes and crosstrain employees on multiple machines.
The larger space also made it possible for Graymills to upgrade its equipment. The company purchased about a half dozen new machines to replace outdated equipment and increase production capacity. State of the art manufacturing equipment includes laser cutter, fabrication, welding and CNC machine shop. The new facility has all LED lighting. Not only does this provide a brighter working environment for employees, it provides long term savings, as LED lights last longer than standard bulbs and are more economical to run daily.
In addition to the manufacturing areas, Graymills created all new offices, cubicles and closing offices. The property includes 160 parking spaces to accommodate visitors as well as employees. The old Chicago facility had one outdoor dock, while the new Broadview facility has six enclosed docks. This provides more efficiency for delivery and faster distribution.
A major consideration with the new facility was location, said DePhillips. The company required the space be local in Chicagoland to accommodate existing employees. Broadview also provides excellent public services and a stable financial base.