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Wyomissing Steel Firm Moving on Up: Summit Steel & Manufacturing Inc. Has Outgrown Its Digs and is Constructing a $6.5 Million Plant in the Riverview Industrial Park, Muhlenberg Township.

Posted on: Monday, 20 February 2006, 09:00 CST

By Reading Eagle, Pa.

Feb. 20--By summer, Summit Steel & Manufacturing Inc. will be moving up into a new home. The 13-year-old firm, based in Wyomissing, has announced plans to construct a $6.5 million plant in the Riverview Industrial Park, Muhlenberg Township. Gary L. Romig Jr., owner and president of the firm, said the ages of its facilities made it difficult for the firm to operate efficiently. The former Textile Machine Works plant Summit operates from in Berks County is more than a century old. And the former Graco Children's Products plant in Elverson, Chester County, which Romig bought last year -- a purchase that added some fabrication and powder-coating capabilities -- is 50 years old. "Really, the business has grown to the point where we've outgrown those facilities," he said. "The setup needs to be perfect for us to stay on the leading edge here." The Muhlenberg plant, slated to open in July, will consolidate those operations into one modern facility, where it will continue to make custom fabricated metal products for customers including Harley-Davidson and Case New Holland. Romig said Chester County officials were hoping to convince Summit to stay in Elverson. But, he said, there were issues with that building, from size -- Summit operates in only 40,000 square feet out of 200,000 total -- to the potential loss of some Wyomissing employees for whom Elverson was too far to commute. The new, 140,000-square-foot building will allow for growth, and Romig said he plans to add up to 40 employees over five years, increasing the work force to about 90. He said Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania provided assistance through Lehigh University to help with the new building's design, while Greater Berks Development Fund was providing help with low-interest financing.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Reading Eagle, Pa.

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Source: Reading Eagle

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