Daifuku Intralogistics America begins a new chapter for Hobart with the opening of an expanded manufacturing facility

Daifuku Intralogistics America Corporation invited community and government leaders to its newly expanded facility in Hobart on October 2. The over 300,000-square-foot expansion doubles Daifuku Intralogistics America’s production capacity in the wake of growing market demands.

“We’ve been seeing tremendous growth here in the North American market,” Daifuku Intralogistics America COO Clint Lasher said. “The original facility here was opened in 2019. While we always had plans to expand it, we reached maximum capacity in just a few years and needed to immediately begin planning that expansion. We had many partners that needed our services, goods, and systems for e-commerce during COVID-19 which kicked off this boom, and that growth has continued.”

Daifuku Intralogistics America serves Daifuku Corporation’s North American market for all of its automation and material handling needs. The Hobart facility currently employs over 400 people, and the new expansion promises to bring that number closer to 800, helping the City of Hobart to further develop its manufacturing industry and providing local businesses in the North American market with a supplier committed to building at home.

U.S. Representative Frank J. Mrvan saw the long-term effects that the expanded facility will have on Hobart and Northwest Indiana as a whole, bringing the Region to the global stage of manufacturing while uplifting the people responsible for making the expansion possible.

“If we look at the big picture of what this means for Hobart and Northwest Indiana, it’s a very proud day,” Mrvan said. “This expansion is an example of a bipartisan effort to advance not just innovation or economic growth; it advances the lives of employees here today. This is a proud day for Northwest Indiana because we are globally competitive, but it’s also a proud day for the employees who have made a difference.”

The open house was led by Daifuku leadership, who emphasized the importance of the Hobart facility in serving the North American market. The program additionally began with a brief safety message delivered by Thomas O’Brien, senior safety manager.

“Safety is paramount to all of us at Daifuku. We start almost all of our meetings with a safety message because we want everyone to go home safe and happy at the end of the day,” Lasher said. “It’s absolutely critical to have a happy, effective workforce.”

This was followed by guided tours of the facility, where guests had an opportunity to learn more about Daifuku Intralogistics America’s operations and the latest innovations in material handling systems. From RF scanning tools to replace paper inventorying to automated cutting machines, each new step was designed to maximize employee safety and productivity.

“If we work safely, we’re promoting efficiency as well,” Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales David Campbell said. “It’s routine, repeatable practice. We know where our tools are, we keep them picked up and clean – which creates a safe, clean work environment that promotes efficiency.”

The expansion is the result of a $35 million investment into the future of Daifuku’s North American market, a reaffirmation of Daifuku’s commitment to keeping American businesses at the forefront of the market with affordable, local material handling services and products.

“When we take a look around the industry right now, a lot of businesses are moving out of the U.S.,” Campbell said. “Daifuku is bringing manufacturing to the U.S. We want to locally design, manufacture, and support the solutions we deploy to our customers. That’s our commitment.”

Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun believes that this project will not only make Hobart globally competitive in manufacturing but will also prove to other businesses that Hobart is the place to grow and develop.

“One of the things we struggle with is not a lack of companies wanting to relocate here; it’s building the talent pool for the next generation’s workforce,” he said. “It takes a company like Daifuku that has a vision and is forward-thinking to start training that next workforce. Our location and a community that’s willing to work with businesses really put us on the map and show that, regionally, nationally, and globally, we are a player.”

None of this would be possible without the continued support of Daifuku Intralogistic America’s clients and partners.

“At the end of the day, it’s our clients who allow us to manufacture, employ our employees, and provide for our business,” Daifuku Intralogistics America President Christoph Schenk said. “I would also like to thank our partners, who provide us with the things we need to make the products and the services we do today.”

Daifuku Intralogistics America Corporation designs, manufactures, and installs material handling solutions for businesses across North America with a commitment to quality and innovation. To learn more about the company and the solutions it offers, visit www.daifukuia.com.