Leominster, Mass.-based PFERD Inc. announced it plans to consolidate its staff and operations, including brush production, distribution, and sales and marketing, at its 100,000-square-foot Milwaukee facility. The move is scheduled to be completed by the early third quarter of 2015, around the same time the Massachusetts location will close.
Twenty executive personnel, marketing and customer service positions will be relocated from Massachusetts to Milwaukee, according to PFERD president Gene Huegin. He expects, however, about 6 of the 20 employees to make the move. The remainder will be new hires.
Currently, 110 employees work in Milwaukee. In addition to the 20 Massachusetts employees, PFERD has 40 sales people.
Located at 9201 W. Heather Ave., the Milwaukee location houses all brush manufacturing, PFERD and ADVANCED BRUSH brands product distribution, and technical training functions. This move succeeds the first consolidation of manufacturing, distribution and training functions originally initiated by the company in July 2011.
“With the initial phase of our consolidation to this more central location in 2011, we were able to provide our distributor partners one-order, one-shipment, one-invoice service to reduce their costs. Now, by having our customer service professionals, marketing support staff and executive personnel situated with all our other resources, customers can take advantage of expediting additional business procedures,” Huegin said.
PFERD launched PFERD Canada in 2009 and purchased Superior Abrasives in Dayton, Ohio, in 2012. Superior is currently constructing a new facility in Vandalia, Ohio, near Dayton, which will have all the latest manufacturing technology and business operations built in.
PFERD Inc. is the wholly owned subsidiary of August Rüggeberg GmbH and Co., a 216-year-old family- owned business in Marienheide, Germany. It has been operating in the United States for more than 30 years.
