Seco/Warwick expands USA furnace manufacturing operations

Seco/Warwick Group, a heat treatment and vacuum metallurgy company headquartered in Swiebodzin, Poland, has announced plans to expand its operations in the USA. The group, parent company of Seco/Vacuum and Seco/Warwick USA, has committed to expanding its manufacturing capacity in Pennsylvania by relocating a portion of its manufacturing, and a metallurgical lab for vacuum furnaces, from its headquarters on Poland to Crawford County.

In support of the expansion plans, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has awarded Seco/Vacuum and Seco/Warwick USA a $2 million package of matching fund grants from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) through its Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP). The primary use and intent of RACP fund is for reimbursement of eligible construction costs which Seco/Warwick Group companies will match on a 1:1 basis.

Seco/Vacuum manufactures heat-treating furnaces specialised for heat-treatment processes that must be conducted inside a vacuum chamber to prevent contamination from atmospheric gases. Seco/Warwick USA manufactures atmosphere heat treatment furnaces, aluminium melting furnaces and controlled aluminium brazing (CAB) furnaces.

The expanded facility will benefit the community as well as the heat-treatment equipment manufacturer’s customers. The company will begin upfitting their now-empty factory floor in the Crawford Business Park, which itself was recently redeveloped from the long-abandoned American Viscose Corporation’s synthetic textile mill in Meadville, Pennsylvania, USA.

At its peak in the 1950s the mill employed nearly half of Meadville. After many decades of operation, the mill closed in 1986. Beginning in 1989 the Crawford County Redevelopment Authority, the predecessor to today’s Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County, invested in cleaning, remodelling, and subdividing the million-square-foot plant into more than 50 smaller commercial and industrial spaces.

The added capabilities look to improve the company’s response to its North American customers’ needs, not only through manufacturing but also through the addition of parts, service, and training capacity. At the same time, the new facility will require an expanded staff, at both entry-level and skilled positions, providing new opportunities to workers in Meadville and the surrounding communities.

“We look forward to working with our local partners including the City of Meadville, the Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County (EPACC), the Workforce and Economic Development Network (WEDnet), and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to make this expansion happen!” said Piotr Zawistowski, SECO/VACUUM President, Managing Director.

www.secovacusa.com