SANTA FE SPRING, CA September 29, 2010 ---- Machinists and assemblers from Philadelphia Gear’s (PGC’s) Western
Regional Service Center in Lynwood, CA, join their co-workers by moving into their new permanent home, a recently renovated
120,000 sq. ft. facility in Santa Fe Springs, CA. The recently refurbished building is located 10 miles from the old facility and will
replace an over 60-year old building as the base for PGC’s West Coast operations.
The Lynwood site was in need of updating, and when the time came to renew the lease, an opportunity presented itself to
relocate to a more modern facility in a more convenient location. After an extensive three-year search, a lease was signed in
September 2009 to take possession of the Santa Fe Springs building to replace the Lynwood site. Preliminary planning was
already in motion for an extensive renovation project prior to finalizing the lease, so when the deal was struck, detailed design
work began almost immediately.
The timing in acquiring the facility was auspicious following Philadelphia Gear’s purchase of the majority of General Electric
Corporation’s (GE) marine gear product lines in the summer of 2008. With the completion of this agreement, PGC acquired
the intellectual property and key equipment to broaden its existing capabilities to service and manufacture main reduction gear
assemblies for the U.S. Navy.
The construction work was divided into two phases. Phase One focused on developing the new facility for all of the Western
RSC’s machining, aftermarket, and administrative operations. This consisted of creating a new interior layout that would optimize
production flow and maximize space while enhancing and adding production capabilities, along with creating a segregated
43,000 sq. ft. area for government marine projects.
After five months of design and planning and another seven months of construction, Phase One has been completed.
The southern 65% of the building was extensively renovated to create over 14,000 sq. ft.
of space for offices, locker rooms, and a secure document storage area.
Specialty machining and operations rooms were added to provide the optimal temperature and ventilation conditions for critical machining operations and painting and inspection operations. Five new bridge cranes were added to double the amount of the facility which is crane-served, and new equipment foundations and utilities were installed for 80 pieces of equipment being relocated from Lynwood or coming from GE. This work involved completely replacing the building’s lighting, electrical, compressed air, and natural gas distribution systems.
To complement this renovated facility, in July 2010 PGC ordered two new gear grinders to replace the existing grinders used in the final machining process for repaired or new gears. The new machines – a 4 meter grinder and a 1.6 meter grinder from Höfler of Germany – will be delivered and installed in the first half of 2011. Due to the improved computer controls and sensors in the new equipment, the upgraded machines will provide an even higher degree of accuracy, while also being able to handle larger diameter gears and pinions, further improving the capabilities of the service center.
Phase Two of the construction work will commence this fall and will involve outfitting the 43,000 square foot marine area for
assembly and testing operations for main reduction gear assemblies for the U.S. Navy.
Operations will wind down at the old Lynwood facility by early 2011 with plans to completely decommission the facility by the
summer of 2011. All toll-free and local phone numbers will remain the same and are being routed to the Santa Fe Springs office.
Any correspondence or deliveries should be sent to the new facility located at:
Philadelphia Gear, 12935 Imperial Highway, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
For more information, call 1.800.766.5120, fax 610.337.5637,
or visit us online at www.philagear.com. |
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