Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
BEDFORD – A Bedford manufacturer of diamond cutting tools and machinery for the stone industry celebrated Manufacturing Day with an open house to demonstrate a new investment in equipment.
WF Meyers Company Inc. recently modernized its production with the purchase of a new hot press and cold press. The company invested $669,000 in the new equipment, which replaced equipment that had been in use for 25 years.
“This is a reinvestment in our business and in our community. This new equipment positions us to improve our products, enter new markets and grow the business,” said WF Meyers President Alex Barnes.
The cold press has a diamond arrayer and can precisely align diamonds in a segment. With the old equipment, the diamonds were distributed randomly. The ability to have precision placement will extend the life of cutting tools by 30%, Barnes said.
One of the benefits of the new hot press is it uses less energy to operate. Barnes said the hot press uses 70% less power than traditional presses.
The planning and design for the space that houses the new presses was done in-house and Barnes thanked the WF Meyers team of Joel Beasley and Andrew Hillenburg for their work.
Barnes also thanked Conexus Indiana, which awarded WF Meyers an Advanced Manufacturing Grant.
“WF Meyers’ adoption of advanced automation technology is a perfect example of how Indiana’s small to mid-sized manufacturers can leverage Manufacturing Readiness Grants from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation,” said Mitch Landess, vice president of Innovation and Digital Transformation at Conexus Indiana. “We’re proud to be a part of supporting Indiana manufacturers like WF Meyers through this program, which demonstrates Governor Holcomb, the Indiana General Assembly and the IEDC’s commitment to helping manufacturers embrace technology and remain competitive in today’s evolving marketplace.”
“This is a great program that does a lot for manufacturing in Indiana,” Barnes said of the MRG program.
Manufacturing Readiness Grants are helping the state’s manufacturers modernize their operations by incentivizing capital investments in advanced technologies at small- to mid-sized businesses.
According to a new report from Conexus Indiana about the effectiveness of the program, $57 million in matching grants through 526 awards have been made in 79 Indiana counties since the IEDC launched the program in 2020.
“This is an exciting time for manufacturing, as we celebrate Manufacturing Week,” Barnes said. “It is truly an exciting time for manufacturing in the US and in Indiana, as we are in the middle of a huge effort to reshore manufacturing to America.”
The equipment purchase received tax abatement and Barnes thanked the Bedford City Council and Lawrence County Economic Growth Council for their support and approval of tax abatement on the investment. He also thanked local vendors R&H Electric, Air-Masters, Daviess County Metal, Hawkins-Bailey Warehouse and Bender Lumber. The company also received support from First Financial Bank and the Indiana Small Business Development Center.
About WF Meyers Company
Located in Bedford, WF Meyers is a family-owned company in business since 1888. In 1911, the company moved from New York to southern Indiana to be closer to the booming limestone industry.
About Manufacturing Day
Celebrated on the first Friday in October, with events continuing throughout the month, Manufacturing Day is a national grassroots movement that demonstrates the reality and future of modern manufacturing careers. During the month, thousands of companies and educational institutions nationwide will open their doors to students, parents, educators and community leaders to learn about manufacturing careers.