Four plant expansions are enabling Bandit Industries to add employees and increase production of some products by 50 percent

Bandit Industries Boosts Production Capacity with Plant Expansions

April 16, 2015
Wood-processing equipment manufacturer Bandit Industries completed its fourth plant expansion in nine months to keep up with increasing demand for its equipment, the company said.

Wood-processing equipment manufacturer Bandit Industries completed its fourth plant expansion in nine months to keep up with increasing demand for its equipment, the company said. All the plant expansions add space for additional employees and production at the company’s mid-Michigan facility.

Bandit moved into a new rebuild facility in October 2014, increasing its capacity for rebuilding used machines. The move also created construction space in the forestry mower and Beast buildings, allowing the forestry mower area to double its production and allowing the Beast recycler line to boost production 25 percent.

A new electronics facility was finished in November 2014, allowing for increased production of electronic control panels harnesses used on all Bandit equipment. The new facility is now building all the new control panels and proportional drives featured on all of Bandit’s Tier 4 engine options.

“In February of this year, we moved into a new facility to build drum chipper heads for our hand-fed chippers, whole tree chippers and Beast recyclers, along with the rotors for our forestry mower lines,” said Jerry Morey, president of Bandit Industries. “The new facility freed up production areas in our hand-fed drum chipper area, which is allowing us to increase production in that area by 50 percent.”

On April 1, Bandit Industries moved into an expansion of its whole tree manufacturing facility, increasing production of its whole tree chippers by 50 percent, Morey said.

“These four expansions have allowed us to add 80 full-time employees and add much-needed production,” Morey added. “Surging demand for our products over the past two years has increased lead times longer than I like, and at times has cost us orders. The additional production capacity will reduce lead times by the end of the second quarter.”

Bandit Industries is based in Remus, Mich.