After its new warehouse was completed under budget and ahead of schedule just across the street from its Lehigh Valley operations in Bethlehem, Bosch Rexroth is ready to grow its North American customer base.
The ribbon was cut Tuesday on the German company’s new 50,000-square-foot warehouse at Lehigh Valley Industrial Park I near Lehigh Valley International Airport.
“Now, our customers’ lead times are going to be reduced, our ability to serve our customers is going to be increasing, and obviously the biggest thing is our ability to grow,” Bethlehem plant manager Rafael Paredes said. “Now we have the footprint.”
Parades said with the increased space, the hydraulics manufacturer will be looking at adding to its 350-person workforce.
Bosch Rexroth invested $20 million in the project, which will feature automated storage and retrieval systems and is expected to bring a 50% increase in storage capacity. The building was constructed by J.G. Petrucci Co.
It replaces a warehouse 6 miles away in Bethlehem Township. Despite the seemingly short distance, orders could take two or three days to process.
Frank Thiel, senior vice president of manufacturing, industrial hydraulics, said that even though the new building looks like a simple warehouse, “it’s a very crucial part of our supply chain.”
“This will enable us to be more resilient in the future in terms of our supply chain,” he said.
Bosch Rexroth has been in the Lehigh Valley since 1967, when Alfred Krug opened a small office in Easton with a handful of employees who sold the company’s hydraulic systems.
“Companies don’t stay in a community that long by accident,” said Kristin Cahayla-Hoffman, vice president of business development for Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. “They stay because they find the people, the resources, and the support that they need here.”