Innovation and Growth: 1969 to 1979
Just eight years later, in 1972, the firm had outgrown the 6,000-square-foot Franklin Park plant and moved to a modern 20,000-square-foot building in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, a more distant Chicago suburb. In 1973, Bunting’s sales topped the million-dollar mark for the first time.
The Bunting® Magnetics Co. product line expanded along with sales. In 1974, we began designing and manufacturing complete magnetic conveyors to complement its line of industrial magnets, holding assemblies, and conveyor components. Just one year later, in 1975, the company started designing, manufacturing, and selling magnetic printing products. Bunting® Magnetics Co. magnetic printing cylinders and magnetic bases were soon saving time and labor in flexographic, letterpress, dry offset, carbonizing, die-cutting, decorating, and other printing industry applications.
Strong growth continued throughout the 1970s. Bunting® had earned a national reputation, and the company’s product line continued to grow. Bunting® magnetic drawer filters and separation equipment had gained widespread acceptance and a leadership position in many applications. As sales and product offerings increased, the company focused attention on refining management, sales, and accounting procedures. Robert J. Bunting, Walter and June’s son, joined the Bunting® sales staff, and new systems of controls were introduced to help handle the volume of business.
By 1978, Walter Bunting had once again started looking for a place to expand. When the search for a facility or building site turned up nothing suitable within forty miles of Elk Grove Village, Mr. Bunting realized that the move would be beyond the commuting range of many of his most experienced workers. So he widened the scope of his quest and considered moving the company to a more centrally-located state. After an evaluation of several possible sites, Newton, Kansas, was selected to be the new home and corporate base of Bunting® Magnetics Co. Construction of the Newton plant was begun with occupancy scheduled for July 10, 1979.
Newton offered the company lower land and building costs than the Chicago area. There was also a very positive work ethic, a good labor pool, and a central location close to major highways and carrier routes. The move required two years of careful planning before being completed in August of 1979. Between July 1st and August 1st, fourteen families were relocated from the Chicago area. In three weeks, over twenty truckloads of equipment and inventory, weighing over a million pounds, were transported from Elk Grove Village to the new plant, built on a seven-acre site along Spencer Avenue in Newton. At the same time, the company was interviewing potential employees. By the middle of September, fifty new employees had been hired, and two shifts were already operating. Production resumed in Newton after only four weeks.
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