Weighing in at up to 60,000 pounds each, the rows of massive wind turbine components aligned in Fuller Industries Inc’s warehouse west of Great Bend make even the cavernous facility seem small.
Takkion, a Casper, Wyo.-based company, is leasing up to 80,000 square feet. The company specializes in logistics and services for the renewable energy industry, and the parts at Fuller are destined for planned projects across the United States, said Takkion Site Manager Nick Coghill.
Takkion recently increased its footprint at Fuller, Coghill said. Up until a few weeks ago, the company had leased 50,000 square feet in the southeast corner of the facility, and now they have expanded to another 30,000 square feet in the center floor area.
On the floor are generators, control units, transformers and other parts destined for wind-power initiatives nationwide. Coghill also oversees Takkion’s outdoor sites at the Great Bend Transload Facility and just east of Larned, where the larger parts, such as the towers, are stored.
This is a boon for Fuller.
“It’s another source of revenue for us,” said Joe Mann, general manager for the longtime Great Bend-based industrial/commercial cleaner manufacturer. “This way, unused space gets utilized. It is a win-win for us and those we serve.”
This is a great opportunity to partner with fellow companies, Mann said, noting Great Bend-based Red Barn Pet Foods has leased room in the past. Fuller started working with Great Bend Economic Development Inc. last fall to market and promote its leasing opportunities.
With 600,000 square feet under the roof, space is something Fuller has in spades. Even though Fuller continues to expand its product lines and offerings, the room needed decreases as the manufacturing landscape evolves, he said.
This leaves another byproduct besides square footage – rows and rows, and piles and piles, of old, obsolete machinery and equipment dating back over 50 years to the Fuller Brush days. Some of this stuff is massive (one of the devices required a hole in the ceiling so it could be lowered into place).
“We have a lot of stuff out there,” Mann said. It all served its purpose back in the day, but “now, most of it is no longer of use.”
So, Fuller has spent months selling, hauling, scrapping, recycling and throwing away decades of industrial relics. The firm even hired a team just to help with the removal process.
But Mann said there is a method to this effort.
“We are shuffling things around, consolidating and reorganizing our production spaces,” he said. The purpose is twofold: clear space so the company can install new product lines while making the workflow more efficient.
About Fuller Industries Inc.
Based in Great Bend, Kan., with a rich heritage dating back over a century to the Fuller Brush Man, Fuller Industries is a leading American manufacturer of industrial products, including cleaning chemicals and supplies, as well as brooms, mops, brushes and more. Fuller serves manufacturing, commercial, institutional and agricultural clients nationwide. Call 620-792-1711 or visit Fullerindustriesllc.com.
