Concept Metals Group has invested $15.5 million in a new facility and state-of-the-art equipment for its three West Michigan factories, adding 25 employees over the past year to prepare to meet the demands of electric vehicle battery production.
The veteran-owned company purchased a former office furniture plant at 17237 VanWagoner Road in Spring Lake to strengthen Concept Metal Products, investing $4.5 million in equipment to build several components for the battery tray for a host of GM vehicles, including the Hummer, Silverado, Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe and others. CEO John Walton and his team undertook an extensive rehab of the 120,000-square-foot facility, including an electrical upgrade to accommodate 22 roll form lines, 51 presses and a new five-axis laser.
The investment has enabled Concept Metal Products to partner with a nearby Tier One automotive supplier, supporting its work on components for large OEM and other Tier One suppliers. The company also has partnered with Integricoat, Inc. in Spring Lake, a veteran-owned powder coat finisher.
Concept Metal Products, along with sister firms Concept Metal Fabrication in Spring Lake and Concept Metal Machining in Comstock Park, also make products for a wide range of industries including contract furniture, construction, hospitality, retail display, appliance, aerospace, medical and others.
Strong demand across its broad customer base has driven sales growth. Sales for all three companies will grow a combined 100% in 2023, with the companies projected to double sales again in 2024.
“As the automotive industry embraces electric vehicles, Concept Metals Group has made a significant investment in roll form technology to support this move,” said Bill Beland, vice president of engineering. “Electric vehicles will become a significant portion of the automotive market, and we have taken steps to diversify and enhance our capabilities.
“This expansion has allowed us to develop new skill sets and expand the types of products we make. We now have capacity to establish new partnerships and provide additional manufacturing support for West Michigan companies.”
Unlike other types of automotive components that can be stamped, production for EV battery trays requires the use of roll form technology. Roll form is a continuous process for forming metal from sheet, strip or coil stock into shapes of essentially uniform cross section. The material is fed between successive pairs of rolls that progressively shape it until the desired cross section is produced.
Available industrial space in West Michigan remains difficult if not impossible to find. By adding the new equipment and larger facility, Concept Metal Products now has the floor space and the capacity to support companies that are space constrained.
Capabilities at its sister companies include:
- Concept Metal Fabrication and Assembly in Spring Lake: 60,000 square feet dedicated to metal fabrication in light- to medium-gauge sheet metal, bar and tube and complete custom fabricated and welded assemblies. Additionally, the facility offers laser cutting, CNC metal forming, milling and machining, welding and other processes.
- Concept Metal Machining in Comstock Park: 30,000 square feet dedicated to CNC machining, production milling, horizontal surface grinding, welding, assembly and other processes for high and low-volume equipment.
Concept Metals Group has added 25 new team members from Muskegon, Spring Lake, Norton, Shores, Coopersville and neighboring communities with plans to hire more.
“John believes in investing in people, which is a real benefit in this competitive market,” said Kevin Mesler, vice president and general manager. “We’ve been fortunate to hire really good employees who resonate with our corporate culture and appreciate the ability to work hard, help the companies grow and make a true difference.”
There are no comments
Please login to post comments