Barron Industries expands manufacturing footprint with new building in Oxford

June 25, 2019 02:49 PM

Author:  ANISA JIBRELL

• Company closed on $650,000 building sale Friday
• Barron nabbed renewable, five-year contract with Triumph Group
• New manufacturing center will be operational by mid-July

Oxford-based manufacturer Barron Industries Inc. has purchased a 10,000-square-foot manufacturing center to accommodate new contracts from its aerospace customers.

The company closed on a $650,000 building sale at 3020 Adventure Lane in Oxford on Friday, President and CEO Bruce Barron said.

“We were excited about the opportunity when the sign popped up that it was for sale and it was literally across the street from us,” Barron said.

The plant will be used to increase the company’s production capacity for precision machined investment castings and assemblies, according to a Monday news release.

The company will start moving equipment into the new center this week, and the investment casting foundry is expected to be operational by mid-July, Barron said.

“Essentially we’re adding capacity and moving some of our processing operations into that building and opening up space in our existing main building for more machining operations here at the 215 Plexus location,” Barron said. “Our ability to expand our machining and finishing operations here is going to come from being able to move some of our casting finishing operations into the new building across the street.”

The new facility will house a 325-kilowatt induction melting unit, a $300,000 piece of equipment manufactured by Rancocas, N.J.-based Inductotherm Corp., as well as a high-pressure water jet blast system, Barron said.

The company also received a certification from the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program for nondestructive testing using internal X-rays and dye penetrant inspections, required by aerospace companies. Both are methods used to test parts for defects.

“Those processes require a higher level than the commercial level of rating and certification, controlled by the NADCAP organization and Barron achieved those certifications for its non-destructive testing, so that’s enabled us to be approved by companies like GE and Boeing to do work for them or their large Tier 1 folks,” Barron said.

The expansion builds on its recent success in the defense industry. The company increased its capacity and invested $1 million into new equipment to accommodate orders for aluminum, stainless and carbon steel precision castings. It also added a second and third shift at its 65,000-square-foot manufacturing center in Oxford.

The company has 76 employees and is on track to boost that to 85 by July, Barron said.

The company got a renewable, five-year contract with Berwyn, Pa.-based Triumph Group to supply cast and machined stainless steel components for the GE9X high-bypass turbofan aircraft engine being developed by Evendale, Ohio-based GE Aviation for the Boeing’s 777X, the release said.

Barron generated $10 million in sales last year. The company expects that to grow by 50 percent to $15 million in 2019.

Original Crain’s Detroit Business Article:  https://www.crainsdetroit.com/manufacturing/barron-industries-expands-manufacturing-footprint-new-building-oxford