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Power Drives, Inc. (PDI) Announces Plans to Consolidate its Western New York Operations in Buffalo’s Historic Larkin District
PDI will relocate its current manufacturing facility from Falconer and
its corporate headquarters from South Buffalo to Exchange Street this summer
Power Drives, Inc. (PDI) today announced it will consolidate its Western New York operations to a new site in Buffalo’s historic Larkin District this summer as part of a long-term strategic plan that will help position the company for future growth and ensure its continued presence in New York State.
Louis Panzica, president & CEO at PDI, said the company will relocate its manufacturing facility from Falconer, N.Y. as well as its corporate headquarters and administrative offices from Hopkins St. in South Buffalo, to a 77,000-square-foot facility at 801 Exchange St. that the company’s ownership group purchased last Friday, April 29. The site formerly housed The Colad Group.
“We did our best to maximize the space available to us and we explored options to purchase additional property that would have allowed us to expand our current manufacturing facility in Falconer,” Panzica said. “We ultimately reached the decision we needed a larger, more modern building capable of handling the growth we expect to achieve over the next several years.”
Panzica said the company conducted an extensive search throughout Western New York, including Chautauqua County, along with neighboring Erie, Pa. where PDI has another manufacturing facility, for a larger facility conducive to the type of work it does and one that would allow for continued expansion.
“The building we purchased in Buffalo fulfilled all of our requirements and we look forward to having a large segment of our manufacturing and administrative operations under one roof, maximizing efficiencies and communications,” Panzica said. “We appreciate the support we received from New York State and the Empire State Development Corporation as part of the process.”
PDI will begin phasing down operations at its Falconer location and transferring production to the Buffalo Plant over the next 90 days.
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Power Drives Consolidating Operations Release – Page 2 of 2
The company currently has 98 employees at its Falconer facility and will offer about two-thirds of them the opportunity to transfer to Buffalo. Panzica met with Falconer employees earlier today to update them on the situation, telling them, “I know this comes as a shock to you and I want you to know our management team will try our best to make this transition as painless as possible and provide you with placement opportunities either with PDI in Buffalo or with other local companies.”
All 31 members of the management team and administrative staff at the South Buffalo location are expected to make the move to the new location.
Panzica said the company will immediately begin accepting applications and conducting interviews for a variety of positions at its new Buffalo facility, encouraging prospective job seekers to visit the company’s website at https://www.powerdrives.com/jobs.
Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., Power Drives, Inc. (PDI) designs and manufactures custom-engineered hose and tube assemblies for original equipment manufacturers (OEM), and engineered systems for locomotives and other mobile equipment. PDI designed and patented its own, proprietary line of idle reduction systems called Powerhouse™ for the locomotive market. PDI also distributes a wide range of hydraulic, pneumatic and electromechanical components for fluid conveyance, motion control and power transmission applications through stocking locations and B2B retail locations. Additionally, PDI has facilities in Erie, Pa. and Changshu, China. The company was recently named one of Western New York’s fastest-growing companies by Buffalo Business First.
