Air Flow Technology expands filter production

Kenosha-based Air Flow Technology, a spraybooth filter manufacturer, has more than doubled the size of its facility.
A 48,000-square-foot addition was joined to the existing 42,000-square-foot space to make room for new product manufacturing.
Air Flow previously focused on the automotive spraybooth and HVAC markets. Now, the company has expanded its offerings to include industrial spray finishing filters, said owner Bruce Wittert.
“We needed more space for shipping, we needed more space for equipment to make new items,” Wittert said.
Since the automotive market has been struggling, Air Flow has diversified its product offerings to increase stability, he said.
“In order to expand our growth, we needed to go in a different direction,” Wittert said.
The addition, completed in July, brought all of Air Flow’s operations under one roof and eliminated the need for 15,000 square feet of rented warehouse space in Pleasant Prairie.
Air Flow is adding equipment used to cut and roll fiberglass, bringing more of its operations in-house, Wittert said. Processes are also laid out more efficiently in the optimized space.
“We used to have two docks,” he said. “With the addition of five more, we’re able to operate more efficiently staging orders.”
The company currently has 67 employees. About five employees will be hired in 2012 to make the additional products, he said.