More than 100 new CNC machining jobs were created as a result of Bodine Electric Company's recent plant consolidation project. The Peosta, Iowa plant has more than doubled in size, to 140,000 sq.-ft., and is now home to most of the company's manufacturing and all assembly operations. With all manufacturing under one roof, Bodine can respond more quickly to engineering, prototype and quick turnaround requests. The facility now includes over 60 precision CNC milling, grinding, gear cutting and turning centers, some which were previously located in the Chicago plant.

"Our plant in Iowa has been a successful operation from the start, over 15 years ago. The decision to consolidate both plants was more than just adding manufacturing capacity to our assembly operations. This was a strategic decision by the owners and management team that will enable us to further reduce lead-times, increase productivity and manufacturing efficiency and also contain costs," says John Bodine, president of Bodine Electric.

In addition, the company has expanded its partnership with Northwest Iowa Community College (NICC) in Dubuque, IA, on various employee-training programs. Recently, NICC and Bodine developed a two-week training program that focuses on CNC operation, blueprint reading and inspection of machined parts.