Miller Fabrication Solutions has always believed growth isn’t just about doing more – it’s about doing better. That mindset drove one of the biggest investments in our company’s history – transforming our Pine Creek facility, purchased in 2022, into a fully modern, highly automated manufacturing operation.

When we acquired the 186,000-square-foot building, we saw not just space, but also opportunity – to innovate, automate and create the kind of seamless production flow that would allow us to scale and serve our OEM customers more efficiently. Now, after months of preparation and a tremendous team effort, the plant will be fully operational by September. It’s already changing how we do business.

Built with Purpose
The Pine Creek facility is designed to improve throughput, reduce material handling and feed replenishment parts directly to our other plant locations, precisely when they’re needed. It’s a vital part of our strategy to grow the business by 50% over the next three years while meeting our customers’ needs with greater speed, quality and consistency.

To get there, we invested heavily in automation, installing advanced equipment like the TRUMPF TruLaser Center 7030 and the Messer plasma cutting system. Planning for and installing these multi-operation systems required significant planning and coordination.

First, we had to make sure the facility could support them. That meant upgrading infrastructure, repairing roofing, clearing out a former paint line and building an extensive new driveway around the building to allow truck access. These foundational preparations had to happen before we could begin installing equipment.

An unanticipated hurdle we encountered along the way was electrical capacity. Though we expected the existing power infrastructure would be sufficient, we found after consulting with our utility provider that it would not support the scope of our plans. To increase power, the electric company installed a new transformer and made other system upgrades, while our team completed the electrical work and wiring necessary to carry power into the plant from the new transformer. Lesson learned.

Foundations for the Future
When it came to installing our new TRUMPF and Messer cells, the prep was no small task. After designing foundations to support machines larger than anything Miller has ever used before, we had to dig out massive portions of the existing plant floor to physically construct them. The TRUMPF cell alone required a concrete slab that was 2 feet thick, 17 feet wide and about 80 feet long to accommodate the more than 1.5 million pounds the machine weighs at full capacity.

Installing machinery of this size and weight required a major time commitment from our maintenance team, who spent the better part of two years rewiring, reinforcing foundations and moving massive machines into place. Their effort has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Designed for Performance and People
Throughout the remodeling effort and construction work at Pine Creek, we made decisions that prioritize the long-term health of our team and our facility. For example, we enclosed our plasma cell – something rarely done – to reduce noise and dust levels. That was done in part because we have a laser nearby that’s sensitive to airborne particles, and we want to protect that investment. But even more importantly, we wanted to create a cleaner, quieter and safer working environment for our employees.

At full capacity, Pine Creek will house millions of dollars’ worth of highly specialized, highly efficient equipment and create about 25 new skilled trades jobs. It expands our total shop floor space by 35%, giving us the ability to respond to customer demand with more speed, accuracy and flexibility than ever before.

But Pine Creek is more than a plant – it’s a promise: a commitment to our customers that we’re investing in performance, reliability and scale. A commitment to our employees for meaningful work in a modern, safe and innovative workplace. And a commitment to our community that we’re building a sustainable business that will last well into the future.