Cliff Buchan
News Editor

The for sale or lease signs outside the Wyard plant in Forest Lake paint an ominous picture, but donít put too much into the message, the company president said last week.

A sale of the business in March has led to some changes but the 42-year-old Forest Lake Industrial Park plant will maintain a facility in the area. So said Terry Paul, company president last week.

As of March 18, the Forest Lake facility at 907 SW 15th St. has operated under the name FleetwoodGoldcoWyard. The new name followed the purchase of the Wyard Industries assets by Fleetwood, Inc., a Chicago-based conveyance and automated equipment division of Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc.

The subsequent acquisition of the Goldco product lines in Loveland, CO, has paved the way for some changes in the Forest Lake operation.

But those changes should not result in any of the current 40 Wyard employees losing their jobs, Paul said last week.

ìThatís what weíll maintain here,î Paul said.

Wyard Industries, founded in Forest Lake in 1963, has specialized in the production of palletizers, depalletizers and case palletizer and depalletizer systems for the beverage industry.

The acquisitions by Fleetwood will mean the current assembly work that is done in Forest Lake will be done at the Colorado location, he said.

All other Wyard functions, including sales and engineering, will remain at the Forest Lake location, Paul said.

The building that houses Wyard, however, was put up for sale by its owner last week, Paul said. He added that the company is now exploring other plant sites in the Forest Lake area that may provide the 15,000 square feet that the operation needs.

He said the FleetwoodGoldcoWyard operation could relocate soon or may remain in the Forest Lake Industrial Park building for an extended term.

The new Fleetwood ownership is part of the Barry-Wehmiller Technology Group, a leading manufacturer of conveyance automation technology. Fleetwood was founded in 1956 and acquired by Barry-Wehmiller in 1999.

In a press release, Barry-Wehmiller said the acquisition of palletizer and depalletizer product lines made by Wyard Industries and the product lines of Goldco establishes Fleetwood as a leader in the industry.

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Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605