Sumitomo to expand manufacturing facility

GLENDALE HEIGHTS - PREMIER Design + Build Group said it has broken ground on a building expansion project for Sumitomo Drive Technologies in Glendale Heights.

The company's Glendale Heights location is used for light manufacturing of gear motors, also known as "speed reducers." Gear motors are designed to regulate the speed at which motors run to match the speed needed for a customer's application. The gear motors produced by Sumitomo Drive Technologies are used in many industries, including auto assembly, grain handling, water treatment, wood milling and parcel handling.

Sumitomo Drive is part of Sumitomo Machinery Corp. of America and Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd.

Sumitomo Drive selected PREMIER to manage design and build services for the expansion of its existing facility, which is located at 175 W. Lake Drive within the Glendale Lakes Business Park. When complete, the building will have approximately 82,000 square feet with a 28-foot ceiling height. In addition to more than doubling the existing footprint, PREMIER's team will create a fully modular crane building allowing seamless integration between assembly and distribution.

The project kicked off late last week with a groundbreaking, which included local officials and several Sumitomo Drive Technologies executives who traveled to Illinois from Japan to participate in the celebration.