Seakeeper Buys New Facility to Support Growth
Seakeeper, a manufacturer of gyroscopic marine stabilizers, has purchased a larger facility in Leesport, PA, to support its growth. The 25.4-acre property will house Seakeeper’s core manufacturing and engineering operations and has a 249,504 sq. ft. (23,179.68 m) already on site.
Right For Everyone
The purchase closed on November 5, 2020 and came after a search that would let the company retain its current workforce of more than 150 of its global staff in the Pennsylvania headquarters. The new location is 15 miles (24.14 km) from the current factory on Mohnton, PA, so the difference in the commute is realistic for employees.
“Seakeeper is rooted in Berks County, PA, just like our employees are,” said company vice president of manufacturing Bob Moser. “We’re excited to find a new facility that supports our rapid growth that allows us to stay in the community we love so much.”
After acquiring its current headquarters in 2011, the company expanded the property into six buildings. As the company grew, the limited multi-building space made it challenging to keep up with demand. Seakeeper says the move to the new site will eliminate those complications and increase production capacity and efficiency.
Continued Growth
At the close of 2021, Seakeeper says production will be up more than 80% year over year. With the added capacity and overall growth throughout the company, Seakeeper has increased its staff by more than 77% in 2021 with more than 80 of those new positions based at the company headquarters. More than 60% of the company’s global staff is based in the Pennsylvania location and Seakeeper is planning to add another 40 employees in 2022. The company now makes products for boats ranging from 23’ (7.01 m) to more than 200’ (60.96 m).
“The purchase of this building is good news for a lot of us,” said Seakeeper president and CEO Andrew Semprevivo. “It’s good for our growing team and it’s one of many indicators of the success of our product and the health of the marine industry.”