The growing, Sioux Falls-based concrete construction company is planning to build a $40 million state-of-the-art precast concrete production facility in northeast Sioux Falls, the company announced Monday.
The highly automated plant will consolidate Gage Brothers’ operations into a single 210,000-square-foot facility spread across 45 acres.
Gage Brothers has been based at the same spot on West 12th Street since it was founded in 1915 and has simply run out of room and regularly is forced to turn down work, said Gage Brothers President Tom Kelley.
Gage Brothers says the new manufacturing facility will boost its production capacity by 60 percent, helping it expand beyond South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa, where nearly all of the company’s work is based.“For more than 100 years, Gage Brothers has maintained a significant manufacturing presence in Sioux Falls, and we look forward to building on that legacy through the construction of our new, cutting-edge plant,” he said.
“For more than 100 years, Gage Brothers has maintained a significant manufacturing presence in Sioux Falls, and we look forward to building on that legacy through the construction of our new, cutting-edge plant,” he said.
The new plant will be located at 2800 N. Bahnson Avenue off of Interstate 229. Construction will start later this summer, with completion expected in January.
The new plant means most of Gage Brothers precast concrete production will take place inside. At the current location, only 65 percent does.
Automation is the name of the game in the new facility, boosting production and creating a more predictable work schedule. “Flying buckets” will deliver concrete to pouring stations, reducing delivery times by a third. It’s a method relatively new to the U.S., Gage Brothers said.
The new plant will have an automated rebar bending machine and hydraulic formwork systems to ease the workload. Gage Brothers goal is to boost capacity by 60 percent while only boosting their workforce 20 percent. It currently employs about 250.
“Automation will empower our workforce by streamlining processes and helping them to do their jobs more efficiently,” said Kelley. “I believe this technology will not only make jobs easier, it will also take away many mundane tasks which will create opportunities for more flexible and fulfilling work.”
The plan will include a large cafeteria, locker rooms and collaborative areas.
Everything from the financing to the construction will be a Sioux Falls affair. The plant will be financed through Great Western Bank and Gage Bros. Land Company LLC, with additional funding from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. The Sioux Falls office of JLG Architects will be the architect of record for the facility, and Fiegen Construction won the construction management contract.
“We are celebrating our proud South Dakota heritage, the growing popularity of Gage Brothers products in national markets, our continuing investments in productive technology and our great employee owners who are the backbone of our success,” said Kelley.
