PosiBlog
Positronic is excited to announce the expansion of our Eldon facility in Springfield, Missouri. We will be transitioning all Missouri facilities into the expanded Eldon location, a move we believe will allow us to improve our production capabilities, streamline our services, and provide customers with faster and more efficient services.
The facility expansion project, which began in 2022, is expected to be completed in June 2023. The Eldon plant, which started at 75,000 square feet, will have grown to over 108,000 square feet by the time of the grand re-opening. The new expansion will showcase exciting new features, including a new plating shop with two automated lines for gold and hardware processes, a designated temperature-controlled area for the injection molding department, a wastewater treatment system that includes water recycling and a deionized water process, and a new break room designed to also serve as a storm shelter with enough space to house all employees.
Despite some early challenges and delays with HVAC and electrical, we’re excited to see the expansion project back on track and ahead of schedule. As it stands, the expansion will be complete by June 2023.
Eric Rushbrook, General Manager of Amphenol’s Commercial Air Group, spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony.
As part of the expansion, all Missouri Positronic facilities will be transitioning into the Eldon location, which means the Campbell and Mt. Vernon facilities will close. While it is clear that the expansion of the Eldon location is a positive development for the company and its employees, the phase-down of the Mt. Vernon and Campbell locations is certainly bittersweet. As Sam Henry, site leader, shared, “I remember working on the Mt. Vernon building design many years ago, and there is a small part of me that hates to see that chapter come to an end, but there’s a lot of value in having everyone under one roof.”
Jesse Albers, a staff member at the Mt. Vernon facility, shared that he’s most looking forward to the climate-controlled injection molding department at the new, expanded location, especially as it will help improve the processing experience with less variation between seasons. Mr. Albers shared that while he lives closer to the Mt. Vernon facility (and will miss the short commute), he’s looking forward to a better processing experience and expects lower levels of operator fatigue.
Plating Supervisor Kevin Jones is most excited about streamlining processes, having all the team’s Southwest Missouri capabilities under one roof. And Plating Lead Kevin Lampe is looking forward to upgrading to new equipment. “It will streamline the process,” he explains, “and allow us to produce parts faster and get them where they need to go.”
To celebrate the expansion, Positronic is excited to invite customers, partners, and members of the community to the Positronic USA Facility Expansion Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Thursday, July 20, at 11:00 am. The ceremony will be held at 1325 N. Eldon Avenue, Springfield, MO, and will feature speeches from Positronic General Manager, David Kean, and Amphenol Group General Manager Commercial Air Group, Eric Rushbrook. The Eldon facility is a community project, and Positronic is grateful for the privilege of being part of the Springfield community — just as we’re grateful to Storee Construction, a family-owned business that’s been in Springfield for over 30 years, for serving as our general contractor and our project architect, Hood-Rich Architecture.
Positronic looks forward to celebrating this exciting milestone with all who have contributed to the company’s success along the way. We remain committed to providing our customers with the highest quality products and services.