NORD Expands Office, Manufacturing Space

With its headquarters in Waunakee, WI,NORD Gear Corp.is celebrating its 40th anniversary in the U.S. this year with its sixth expansion – adding 86,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space.

NORD’s main products include gear boxes, motors and frequency inverters as well as industrial gear units.

Delivering double-digit sales growth for three consecutive years, NORD Gear Corp. is expanding for the sixth time since it built its North American headquarters in 1983. The global company began U.S. operations in 1979 in nearby Middleton, WI, sharing a building with Fristam Pumps – a continuing long-time customer.

NORD’s newest expansion will add 86,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space, which will help increase the company’s capacity and ensure a continued short lead time delivery.

The company currently delivers 22 percent of customer orders same day or next day, and 44 percent within five working days, including custom orders. NORD’s main products include gear boxes, motors and frequency inverters as well as industrial gear units.

Expanding its U.S. production capabilities, NORD also added a $6.2 million building expansion and new paint line in Wisconsin last year.

Torsten Schultz, NORD’s U.S. president, explained the company has almost tripled its capacity with its new paint line.

"On a daily basis, we currently assemble on average 650 gear units and 300 motors," he says. "We’re also expanding our facility on Charlotte, NC, by 15,000 square feet this year.”

Schultz says one of the reasons for NORD’s success is its strong engineering support and customer service. The company employs about two dozen engineers that help customers create solutions for their power transmission challenges.

“Our top business growth areas are in the warehouse logistics, airports, food and beverage industry, and the grain industry,” he says. “So whether customers are designing new baggage handling systems, conveyors for warehouses, or mixing tanks for food processing, NORD offers engineering support.”

In Waunakee, NORD employs 325 people. Across the U.S., NORD employs nearly 425 people.