Food manufacturing expansion

Flavor company completes $10M expansion for Kalamazoo-area operations

Flavor manufacturer FlavorSum LLC has completed an expansion project at its Kalamazoo-area campus that will boost the company’s flavor processing capabilities.    The flavor producer, a...

Latest expansion positions former COVID vaccine producer for next 5 years of growth

Completing a major expansion provides Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing Inc. with significant new capacity to support growth.  The expansion added 90,000 square feet of production...
Credit: Gotion Inc.

Gotion prepares for environmental reviews of $2.4B battery plant

Gotion Inc. is preparing to submit “very comprehensive” requests for local, state and federal environmental permits to advance its $2.4 billion battery manufacturing project...

Former Trendway manufacturing operations to close, citing ‘significant losses’

Less than five years after acquiring Trendway Corp., Fellowes Brands Inc. plans to cease operations at the Holland-area contract furniture manufacturing facility in 2024,...
Automation manufacturing facility

Recent deals raise Huizenga Group’s automation profile — again

After scaling up and eventually selling lakeshore Industry 4.0 powerhouse JR Automation over two decades, Kentwood-based manufacturing investment firm Huizenga Group in recent years...
Whirlpool headquarters

Elevated mortgage rates slow Whirlpool’s appliance sales

U.S. mortgage rates that rose sharply in 2022 and remained elevated last year dented the earnings of global appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. Executives with the...
Gentex Grand Rapids

Gentex acquires 6-acre property to expand Grand Rapids presence

Zeeland-based Tier 1 automotive and aerospace supplier Gentex Corp. continues to expand in the city of Grand Rapids, where it has acquired another property...

Stryker Corp. exceeds $20B in annual sales, expects uptick in M&A

Higher capital spending by hospitals in 2023 and the drive to develop more outpatient surgical centers contributed to Stryker Corp. exceeding $20 billion in...
Automated beverage packer

This mini canning robot can package a 6-pack in seconds

An Allegan County industrial automation firm has developed a beverage packaging machine that can slash labor costs by two-thirds while boosting production for craft...
Dimmable sun roof

Gentex sales exceed $2B for first time in ‘remarkable year’ for supplier

Gentex Corp.’s sales exceeded $2 billion for the first time in 2023 as its core business of producing full display and auto-dimming mirrors for...
Manufacturing CEO speaking

Manufacturer’s growth plan stalls amid automotive slowdown

Aggressive growth plans by a Grand Rapids-area manufacturer have been disrupted as an auto–sector slowdown causes layoffs and reduced work hours for nearly a...
Plastics manufacturing

Family-owned injection molding company seeking buyer before forced closure

Bridgville Plastics Inc., a third-generation injection molding business in southwest Michigan, will close at the end of February unless someone is in a position...
Packaging conveyor belt

Global packaging company to close Grand Rapids-area plant, laying off 111 workers

A global packaging company is permanently closing its Grand Rapids-area plant and laying off 111 employees as it consolidates operations.  Graphic Packaging International LLC disclosed...
Recycler headquarters

Industrial recycler opens $20M ‘green’ aluminum plant near Kalamazoo

Industrial recycling and metals distribution company Schupan & Sons Inc. has opened a new production facility near Kalamazoo that will help meet growing demand...
American Seating factory

Furniture maker acquires former American Seating campus on Grand Rapids’ west side

An education-focused furniture manufacturer has acquired the American Seating Co. factory on the west side of Grand Rapids, Crain’s Grand Rapids Business has learned. An...
Vision assistance glasses

Gentex deals aim for broader deployment of vision-assistance, wireless power tech

Recent dealmaking by Tier 1 automotive and aerospace supplier Gentex Corp. will help scale up “life-changing” vision-assistance glasses for users with impaired eyesight as...
Sperry shoes

Wolverine World Wide sells Sperry brand in $130M deal

Wolverine World Wide Inc. has sold its Sperry brand in a $130 million deal with a brand management firm whose portfolio includes Forever 21,...
Amway Corp.'s global headquarters in Ada.

Amway supply chain exec forecasts ‘stabilizing’ year for direct-selling giant

Coming off recent years of layoffs, declining revenue and pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, Brian Kraus is confident that 2024 will be a stabilizing year...
Wolverine World Wide headquarters

Wolverine World Wide enters final phase of ‘turnaround’ plan

Wolverine World Wide Inc. is about two-thirds of the way through a company restructuring plan that in recent months has included leadership replacement, unspecified...
Cascade Engineering

After recent divestitures, Cascade Engineering is ‘getting back to our roots’

Cascade Engineering Inc. CEO Christina Keller sees 2024 as a year to position the family-owned plastic injection molding company for growth as it focuses...