Wenger expands dryer manufacturing facility

With the turn of a shovel during a recent ground-breaking ceremony, Wenger Manufacturing is poised to enlarge its dryer production facility in Sabetha, Kansas by 45,000 square feet and increase production capacity by nearly 50 percent.

It may be true that “good things come to those who wait”, but Wenger is taking action to reduce dryer customer wait times as much as possible, according to Robert Sunderland, Wenger’s Director of Dryer Technology. The increased demand for Wenger dryers has created an ongoing backlog, which ultimately drove the decision to expand the Sabetha facility.

“Over the past few years, we’ve put quite an emphasis on dryers,” says Sunderland. “That has led not only to an increase in market share, but to the development of the new Wenger Enhanced Sanitary Dryer, which means we’re also adding another model to the production mix.”

 “Dryer installations and retrofits are already brisk, and we need to produce the equipment in a timely manner. Consequently, we’ll be adding employees once the expansion is completed,” added Brad Wenger, the company’s Vice President of Manufacturing and Engineering.

All Wenger dryers go through a rigorous quality control program, which includes pre-assembly of the machine at the factory and testing the unit to the extent possible. As a result, all necessary control devices have already been wired to junction boxes prior to delivery; conveyors and pans have been pre-assembled, and burners and safety devices have been properly installed, plumbed and wired prior to shipment.

“All of these steps not only ensure the reliability of the product, but reduce installation time,” Sunderland adds. “But faster, easier installation doesn’t help us reduce a bottleneck in our factory,” he continues. “That’s why we’re so excited about the new dryer facility expansion.”