A $2.5 million investment by Wabash Steel, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lenex Steel, will elevate both productivity and workforce capacity at its facility here, allowing the company to capitalize on a new IoT-driven high-tech blaster for complex steel cleaning and preparation. In partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Conexus Indiana provided a strategic catalyst for the new investment with the awarding of a $200,000 Manufacturing Readiness Grant (MRG) to support the equipment purchase, the first MRG made in Knox County Indiana.
Together with Vincennes University and other partners, Knox County Indiana Economic Development assisted and supported Wabash Steel in securing the MRG funding for the Knox County facility.
“This represents an investment in smart technology and introduces our operation to Industry 4.0, as it provides automated data allowing us to make smart decisions about its usage, maintenance, and throughput,” said Jason Turk, Executive Vice President of Operations for Wabash Steel. “The new equipment will be fully installed in 2025 and continue our positive momentum in the bridge industry renewing America’s infrastructure.”
The Knox County plant fabricates structural steel plate girders primarily for highway and railroad bridges. The steel structures produced at Wabash have sophisticated paint requirements, as bridge structures are exposed to a broad spectrum of weather conditions. The new equipment will match and exceed those requirements.
The fully automated blast equipment will dramatically improve productivity at the Vincennes plant. “Our current equipment moves steel through at a rate of 3-5 inches per minute,” explained Dan Goff, Maintenance Manager at Wabash Steel. “This machine will move steel at a rate of five feet per minute, and a previous three-hour blast period will be reduced to 45 minutes.”
The new equipment is expected to positively impact all areas of the Knox County facility. “This investment will increase throughput, which will require additional manpower in other areas to keep pace. It is disruptive technology that elevates our entire operation and helps us attract needed talent to our plant,” said Turk.
The Manufacturing Readiness Grant played a key role in completing the capital arrangements for the $2.5 million investment, according to Duane Geiger, Chief Financial Officer for Wabash Steel. “Mitch Landess at Conexus was very instrumental in helping Wabash apply for the MRG funds, and we appreciate our great partnership with Vincennes University in working together.”
The Wabash facility is located adjacent to the main Vincennes University campus, which provides easy access to VU’s technology and robotics training facilities.
As Chuck Johnson, President of Vincennes University, said of the project: “automation through innovative, data-driven technologies is vital to Indiana’s manufacturing future as it increases productivity and safety, reduces worker fatigue, allows for a better work environment for manufacturing employees and ultimately results in growth of companies.” VU plans to work to directly connect the resources of its Center for Applied Robotics and Automation to the Wabash Steel training transformation.
“This whole project — the working together of Conexus, Vincennes, and Wabash is resulting in a virtuous cycle where continuous improvement occurs organically,” said Geiger. “Our President Michael Berghoff is committed to our core value of promoting a meaningful place to work, and that includes our people in Vincennes.”
The Wabash investment matches the goals of the MRG program, according to Landess, Vice President of Innovation and Digital Transformation. “Conexus is dedicated to positioning our state as a global leader in advanced manufacturing and logistics, and the Wabash Steel commitment elevates the Vincennes-based facility toward that goal, creating an Industry 4.0 environment for Wabash,” he said. “We are working to expand the MRG program to all 92 counties in Indiana, and we are pleased to see this first award in Knox County.”
The Wabash Steel facility presently employs 70 workers, a 33% increase over the pandemic years. “Bridge construction is picking up, and as our new equipment comes online, we see an ideal workforce level of about 80 employees,” Turk said. Along with additional hires, the current workforce will be retrained for new processes.
“Our new blaster communicates directly with the internet, collects and reports key data, monitors its own maintenance, and operates sophisticated sensors in its gearboxes,” said Turk. “It’s a true Industry 4.0 innovation.”
Additional improvements and investments are planned to continue to help the Wabash Steel facility embrace elements of an Industry 4.0 facility. “This is the first of many investments to come,” said Geiger. “We appreciate our relationship with Conexus Indiana, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and our local Knox County economic development supporters.”
The Wabash Steel facility is a unique and important operation in Vincennes, and we are grateful for Wabash Steel and Conexus supporting this critical commitment,” said Chris Pfaff, CEO of Knox County Indiana Economic Development. “The Knox County region is quickly moving into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which helps make our region and the state of Indiana to be more competitive in the years to come.”
