Walinga has completed a two-phase infrastructure project involving a major expansion in Wayland, Michigan, and a renovation of its Guelph, Ontario production plant. The upgrades transition the company from batch-style assembly to line-based manufacturing.

Wayland Facility Expansion Details

Completed in 2025, the Wayland expansion added a 300’ x 120’ footprint, tripling the square footage of the previous manufacturing area.

Technical Upgrades:

• Production Flow: Installation of a new overhead crane system to manage heavy component movement.
• Material handling: A dedicated inventory receiving area was built to receive part kits shipped from the Guelph plant. These kits are staged for direct delivery to workstations to reduce downtime.
• Production Planning: Wayland now houses 3 lines. Each line is divided into four standardized work centers: Base, Tank, Mobilizing, and Finishing.

Guelph Facility Renovation and Integration

In 2025, the Guelph facility underwent a structural renovation to support the new 1–6 line flow. The primary goal was to remove the physical barriers that restricted smooth flow between the workcenters.

Structural Changes:

• Floor & Foundation: Existing flooring was removed and new concrete was poured to support updated equipment and workflows.
• Wall Removal: Internal dividing walls were taken down to physically connect the 4 work centers in each line.

Standardized Production Model

Walinga now classifies units by feature sets and assigns them to specific lines. By separating the build process into the four-stage “Base to Finishing” sequence across all lines, the company aims to increase throughput and reduce assembly errors.

These standard work centers are designed to have balanced workload from one unit to the next and operate in a consistent takt time. Each line functions as a coordinated team, moving together to maintain flow and efficiency across the operation.