Medrad expanding facility to RIDC Park
INDIANA TOWNSHIP: Steady growth by Medrad, the township's largest employer, has necessitated an expansion into neighboring O'Hara.
The medical device manufacturer, already has outgrown 1998 expansions to its headquarters along Route 910.
Early next year, one-fourth of the 800 employees will move to a new facility in RIDC Park.
'It's a happy problem to have,' said Michael Howard, senior vice-president.
The move is a result of 16 percent average annual growth rate since 1994, something that John Friel, president and CEO, credited to development of products with a focus on the needs of customers.
Expansion beyond the current facility is something company officials planned. Company leaders had been looking two years for additional space, with some potential facilities as far as Monroeville. But Howard said they were hoping to stay within 10 miles of the current complex.
The RIDC Park site became available when Bacharach, Inc., a manufacturer of heating devices, announced its move to a Westmoreland County industrial park last week.
The new 154,000 square-foot complex will enlarge the facility capacity by more than 50 percent, allowing for the expected addition of more than 200 employees over the next four years.
Medrad will put $2 million into renovations for the 30-year-old building, basically gutting the operation and transforming it to meet its manufacturing needs.
'It will look quite different when we're done,' Howard said. 'It will be like new.'
The majority of the new site will be dedicated to production of electronic devices. About 22,000 square-feet will be used for office space, and about one-third of the space will be left for future use.
The 14-acre site, just seven minutes from the Indiana Township headquarters, should hold operations for at least five years, Howard said. There is 50,000 square-feet available to build.
The site in Indianola will remain company headquarters, and the main area for research and sales. Production of disposable syringes will remain there, as well.
The move to O'Hara will vacate 50,000 square-feet at the main site, which eventually will be reconfigured for additional office space, labs and conference rooms. Medrad has 40,000 square-feet available for construction there.