Thanks to its unique manufacturing capabilities, Pendu Manufacturing Inc. in New Holland, Pennsylvania has developed a reputation for tackling big projects in both the forest product sector and other industries.
While pallets and lumber remain the focus of the company, it has handled some very unique jobs over the years. Most recently, Pendu did fabrication work on the metal facade for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. As a part of the project, Pendu produced window panels for the outside structure all the way around the building.
Pendu played a role in America’s recovery story after the World Trade Center attack in September 2001. Pendu did part of the work on the window frames for the new World Trade Center building in New York City. Marlin Hurst, president and owner of Pendu, explained, “This project was accomplished using our CNC machining capabilities. Pendu created a custom built CNC machine to drill and torch 62’ long window frames weighing up to 7,200 lbs. This project took more than a year for our team to complete, and it showcases our ability to take on large manufacturing projects.”
Growing the company to meet increased demand for new equipment has been the focus for Pendu as it added 7,500 sq. feet of manufacturing space to its already impressive 87,000 sq. feet
facility and headquarters in New Holland, Pennsylvania. The expanded facility houses a new 5-Axis CNC milling machine, plasma cutter and extra storage for steel.
Hurst said, “The new 5-Axis milling machine will give us the added ability to process larger scale jobs up to 6.5 feet high, 7 feet wide and 20 feet long. It will allow us to produce gang saw boxes and edger boxes in one setup versus a multi-setup process. The expanded capabilities will enable Pendu to meet the increased demand for new equipment by moving more products efficiently through the manufacturing process.”
Impressive Facility Leads to Success with Specialty Projects
Pendu’s ability and willingness to take on custom jobs helps the company stand out. Pallet Enterprise sat down in a discussion with the Pendu sales team for this article. Pendu customizes many of its installs. The Pendu sales team commented, “We call it ‘standard modified.’ We will even customize systems that may include a competitor’s piece of equipment. We shine in projects where customers need a portion of the machinery customized.” For example, if a customer wants to stack something wider or different, Pendu will modify the system to handle those changes. Pendu has made stackers to stack fence boards and even tree stakes for a client in Europe. A wide variety of in-house expertise enables easier customization. Everything is done in-house including engineering, machining, electrical, hydraulics, software development and computer programing. Key aspects of the operation are not outsourced to third parties.
The Pendu team remarked that many of customers that visit the plant are surprised by the size and capabilities of the facility and production team. Some customers even say, “Wow, we had no idea you do all this.”
Pendu has the ability to make a complete turnkey system. A while ago, the company identified an emerging trend of pallet companies branching out to expand and develop more sawing and sawmill capacity. Pendu can help customers beyond stackers, notchers and more traditional pallet equipment.
Most of the major fabrication machinery in Pendu’s plant is computer-controlled including its brake press, roll former, water jet, plasma machine and basic CNC machines. Computer controls lead to precision and consistency. The software to run the company is all fed through and downloaded to the CNC machines. Pendu puts an emphasis on staying up with the latest and greatest in its machine shop and production facility.
Updating and Improving Key Pieces of Equipment
Beyond its production capabilities, Pendu has focused on innovating and improving key pieces of equipment for the pallet and low-grade lumber industries. Hurst explained, “We have spent a considerable amount of effort refining our multi-trim saw, and we have listened to our customers and made improvements to our high-speed gang saw. It is heavier and have worked to make some wear areas more robust.”
Everyone wants a high-throughput system with the least amount of labor. The Pendu multi-trim saw with the servo option fits this production objective. Each saw blade has a servo motor on it, so the operator keys in the desired length via the touch screen. The machine automatically moves the blades into position without any manual adjustments. Denny Goshert, a Pendu salesman, explained, “Using this technology, Pendu has increased productivity by reducing change over time.”
This fully adjustable trim saw line reduces the skill level required to operate the machine and makes changeovers a breeze. It also reduces the safety risk by eliminating the need for operators to have to climb into the machine to make the changes manually.
In addition to its popular trim saws, Pendu has been supplying a number of notcher/stacker combos. Customers prefer the Pendu notcher because it can cycle up to 7,000 stringers per hour without adding any extra labor. An easy by-pass feature allows for stringers without notches and deck boards to feed directly to the stacker.
Pendu is one of the few equipment manufacturers that designs and fabricates complete cut-up systems in-house from the unscrambler to the stacker for a complete turn-key processing line. Also, Pendu has sold many heavy-duty, high-speed gang saws to the pallet industry. The HD gang saws, multi-trim saws, stackers and notchers go hand-in-hand to create a system that’s allowing customers to obtain greater production throughput and raise efficiency with less labor.
Over the many years that Pendu has been in business, the company has built over 900 gang saws, 300 trim saws and 600 stackers. With so many machines in the market, it is easy to see why Pendu has become a trusted name in the pallet and sawmill industries.
Focused on Becoming a Major Manufacturer in the Pallet Industry
Marlin Hurst joined Pendu back in 1991 as a manger. He recalled being hired by the former owner to manage operations and help him sell the business over time. Marlin Hurst purchased Pendu Manufacturing Inc., in 1993. As part of Pendu’s desire to grow, the company acquired Cornell Inc. in 2005 and has also added new technologies and more advanced equipment. The former Cornell edgers and trimmers allowed Pendu to branch out into the sawmill industry and become competitive in that market as well.
Ever since Hurst took over the helm, Pendu has looked to diversify its customer base. That diversification has helped Pendu weather downturns in the wood and pallet sector. Hurst recalled, “In 2009 when everything slowed down, the company reduced its workforce to 33 employees. But we made it through and came back stronger.” Today, Pendu employs 65+ team members.
In addition to Pendu’s work in the wood industry, Pendu produces machinery for the rubber, materials handling and metal fabrication industries among others. Pendu acquired Dexco, ten years ago and has done multiple aluminum and steel material handling systems for Alcoa, Triad, Metals USA and others. Hurst added, “Serving other industries gives us long-term stability if things ever slow down in the wood sector again. It also stretches our engineering expertise to get better and more innovative.”
Pendu has focused on the pallet and wood sector, and due to increased demand, Pendu recently hasn’t done much work outside of this industry.
Technical Details and Manual, Specialty Parts
Since much of the equipment that Pendu builds is somewhat customized, standard manuals and instructions may not work. The technical details Pendu offers a customer is specific to each machine including parts lists, operator manuals, hydraulic schematics, electrical schematics, etc. These resources help the customer with problem solving and training. Pendu ensures that every parts manual that goes out has a serial number and everything in that manual matches that piece of equipment including all customizations.
Increasingly customizations have become popular because standard systems may not fit in the existing building or layout of a plant. Customers may also want a system to process larger boards or process faster than standard models. For example, Pendu is currently developing a custom stacker that will handle longer length boards to produce over-sized pallets.
Finished machines don’t leave the factory without extensive testing. This improves the ramp up phase for clients.
Given its robust CNC machining capabilities, Pendu has been able to make parts for other manufacturers’ machines in the industry. Goshert said, “Our customers are buying arbors, feed rolls and other parts from us to fit competitors’ machinery,” in many cases Pendu can fabricate parts faster than others in the industry.
Customer service is a top priority for Pendu. From a turnkey system to getting parts for other machines, to giving computer support and engineering support, Pendu focuses on meeting the unique needs of customers. Hurst said, “Customers come to us with ideas for innovative equipment. We have a strong group of employees who can handle almost any project. The team that Pendu has assembled including, plant employees, office personnel, engineers and management in our opinion are some of the best people around, and they consistently outperform expectations.”
Over the years, Pendu has worked with just about every aspect of the forest products industry including trusses, pallet, crossties, sawmill, fencing, pole framing and even log homes. For example, you can see a video about Pendu’s truss system at https://youtu.be/bkLDqGLUxIg.
Like any machinery producer, Pendu has its challenges in this labor market when it comes to adding new workers. What has been a big advantage though is the company’s long-term production employees. Goshert stated, “We have a really good team of guys that have been here a long time and work well together. They are skilled at what they do. Getting more people is always the challenge, and that has limited our ability to respond to surging demand as quickly as we would like. But our team is a big part of what sets us apart.”
The same story that just about every company faces in America, Hurst would like to be able to find more employees. He said, “Finding more people to ramp up even faster is holding us back right now. I have added 7,500 square feet on the front of our building in addition to the big CNC machine and a new plasma unit. We are stocking more steel and hope to add another 9,000 square feet in the back assembly area.”
Pendu is committed to tackling customer projects no matter the size of the job and is working to have the facilities to match its lofty goals.
