Power equipment maker Echo expands in Lake Zurich

Echo Inc., maker of hand-held outdoor power equipment, opened its new 129,000-square-foot warehouse in Lake Zurich today.

The new facility at 400 Oakwood Road brings the total operation of the U.S. headquarters in the Lake County community to 540,000 square feet.

"We're just about ready to move in," said Joe Fahey, vice president of marketing for Echo, a company that has been in the United States for about 30 years.

The warehouse expansion is necessary to accommodate the merger with Shindaiwa about nine months ago. Shindaiwa, which was based in the Portland area, will move most of its operations to the new Lake Zurich warehouse.

"We brought the Shindaiwa operations here with the expansion so we can better serve our Shindaiwa dealers," Fahey said.

He added that the goal is to ultimately move more of the Shindaiwa operations from Japan.

"This will ultimately mean more local jobs," Fahey said.

Echo in Lake Zurich now employs more than 700 people at the office, manufacturing and warehouse complex in Lake Zurich.

"This is a big day for us. It's a culmination of all the efforts of the merger and bringing the brands together," Fahey said.

Echo develops and manufactures hand-held outdoor power equipment for commercial and high-end residential clients. Shindaiwa has focused more on the commercial market, Fahey added.

Top items for the privately held company include grass trimmers, blowers and chain saws.

Power edgers, bed re-definers, power pruners, sprayers, earth augers, water pumps and safety accessories are other items included under the Echo brand.

Founded as Kioritz Corp. of America in 1972, the company serves landscaping, arborist and industrial markets. It changed its name to Echo in 1978, and today operates as a subsidiary of Yamabiko Corp., a billion dollar company.