ST. GEORGE, S.C. – BID Group, a producer of sawmill equipment automation, manufacturing, installation, and life cycle service, is expanding and automating its St. George, S.C., operations. The $10.6 million strategic capital investment is targeted at increasing capacity through both productivity gains and facility expansion.

Productivity gains will be achieved through the installation of automated solutions including a large Correa CNC horizontal milling machine, robotic welding cells, and additional CNC machining capacity. The investment also includes the expansion of BID’s manufacturing footprint with the acquisition of the adjacent Dover Hydraulics South facility.

“We would like to thank Dorchester County and the South Carolina Department of Commerce for their contributions to and support of these investments. We are humbled and honored by their continued trust in BID. We are excited to be increasing our presence in South Carolina to support the growing needs of our highly valued customers,” said Adam Infanti, BID’s Chief Financial Officer. “The multiple projects within this investment will allow the company to increase capacity, advance efficiency, and improve lead time.”

The addition of the existing 10,500-square-foot Dover building will allow for an accelerated timeline to full operational capability. The new space will be dedicated to the production of BLADE, the recently introduced cutting solutions products and services in BID’s catalog. Manufacturing of BLADE in St. George will allow high-quality products, service, and support to the company’s southern customer base. The expansion will create over twenty jobs requiring skilled machinists, welders, and drafters.

The expansion is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2023.

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Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).

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