As we get ready to make our move to the new Spida factory in Jacksonville, Florida, a few things come to mind in terms of making the move as easy as possible and what the move means to all of us on the Spida Team.
Firstly, we have stock on hand, in Shelbyville, that would be better off finding their forever homes rather than being moved to a new factory. These pieces of equipment are at wonderful prices, taking into consideration what it would be worth to move them across the country. We have a couple of Linear Saws that are ready to go, some smaller saws that are ready for install, a 40 ft table press with jigging, and the Raked Wall Extruder and Frame Line that we featured at BCMC 2023. Our Sales Managers are looking forward to talking about these products with anyone who would like more information.
Now, what does the move mean for Spida? It signals another step on our journey to ensure we have room to grow on multiple continents to continue to serve our customers! Starting with our first move in New Zealand, we transferred the factory to a purpose-built site less than 1 mile from our old site in May/June 2023. Our new site is over twice the length of the old factory and now has a dedicated R&D build and testing space as well as so much more room for fabrication and production. We now have purpose-built electrical rooms, and a brand new shot-blasting and painting set-up and dedicated stores area. The site includes a two-story office center for all staff, a dedicated software development hub, a CAD hub, and a center for training and meeting rooms for all. With over 44,300 sq ft of space, we feel like the last 30 years of Spida have paved the way and we couldn’t be more proud.
In the US, Spida quickly invested again and purchased new premises in Jacksonville, Florida. With over 8 acres of land to eventually develop, we have a factory with over 32,000 sq ft currently being refurbished and plans are already drawn for the new build. Our move-in date is November/December 2023, so big plans are currently being implemented. At this point, we have an artist’s impression of the Jacksonville finished product, and we just can’t wait to open this up to our customers for an Open House in 2024.
Jacksonville provides a strategically chosen location with more space and capacity for the business to grow. We are in the process of hiring additional staff to facilitate new services for Spida and expand our existing operation – these positions are in all parts of the business from the shop floor to the management team. This new operations center will allow us to access a more desirable transport network with the Jacksonville Port 4 miles away and the airport 30 miles away. Road transport will be enhanced with better access to more varied delivery options.
Our changing needs from a business perspective are being looked at carefully. We understand our changes to the business model, industry trends, and technology advancements and are catering to the wants and needs of our customers and business partners, in all considerations and conditions. The customer is our number one priority, and making robust, innovative, and fit-for-purpose machinery for our customer-partners is our passion.
Please be in touch should you wish to discuss our machinery sale items as soon as possible, we don’t want you to miss out on this great opportunity, and we’ll let you know when our new location is open for visitors!