Nidec Minster Officials Announce Facility Expansion

Nidec Minster Groundbreaking
Participating in the ceremonial ground-breaking were (From left): Matt Quinter, Engineer/Surveyor, Baumer Construction; with Nidec Minster personnel: Greg Martin, Executive Vice President, COO; Ben Young, Director of Operations; Ron Arling, President Nidec Press & Automation; John Siano, Machine Shop, Weld Shop Manager; Andy Baughn, Frame Cell Group Leader; and Zeek Alexander, Frame Cell Group Leader.

MINSTER, OH -- Ground was recently broken for a 23,900 sq. ft. facility expansion at the Nidec Minster Corporation headquarters in Minster, Ohio.

The scope of the $25 million project includes a 162-foot extension of two machining bays along with the purchase and installation of two world class, large capacity bridge mill machining centers, with the latest in machining technology.

In addition, Minster's largest machining bay will be converted to a climate-controlled facility, part of Nidec Minster’s commitment to the best possible quality in the machining of large press components where tolerances need to be held to within 0.001" -- compared to a human hair that typically measures 0.003".

Metal grows and shrinks with temperature fluctuations, so having a constant temperature in the facility allows material to maintain a constant size, thus allowing Nidec Minster to machine parts of up to 23-feet wide to extreme tolerances.

"As our business continues to grow, it's important that we match that growth with an investment in our facilities and state-of-the-art machine tools that will allow us to deliver industry-leading products and solutions to our customers," Nidec Minster President Ronald Arling said.

The expansion also includes an 80-ton crane in the large bay addition, a 50-ton crane in the smaller bay, along with a drive through loading/unloading area for semi truck traffic.

"This facility upgrade will not only improve the quality of our products, but will increase our efficiency and work flow," Arling added.

The expansion is part of a strategic growth initiative for Nidec Minster which has included an investment of more than $14 million in new machine tools over the past 18 months, all new energy-saving LED lighting, and the re-painting of the facility interior.

"We have been replacing aging machining technology, which has allowed us to bring several manufacturing processes back in-house, saving money and controlling quality," Arling said. "However, a major emphasis has also been on improving working conditions to help us retain and recruit exceptional employees."

Earlier this year, Nidec Minster opened a 12,600 sq. ft. office facility in downtown Dayton, which has allowed the company to recruit professionals from a wider geographic area.

With more than 430 employees at their Ohio locations, Nidec Minster is also the world headquarters for Nidec Press & Automation, an integrated group of six product brands with 13 global locations.