Walk through Pendu Manufacturing’s sprawling New Holland, Pennsylvania campus, and it doesn’t take long to understand why the company has developed a reputation for tackling challenging specialty equipment projects.
With more than 95,000 square feet of manufacturing space, the company boasts one of the largest if not the largest manufacturing facilities serving the sector. The building has been added onto so many times that even the people who work there lose track of the square footage. “We keep adding on — you can’t keep track,” said Denny Goshert, Pendu’s technical sales and project manager, laughing, as he led a tour through the plant.
Most of the major fabrication machinery in Pendu’s plant is computer-controlled including its brake press, roll former, water jet, plasma machine and CNC machining centers. Computer controls lead to precision and consistency. Pendu puts an emphasis on staying up with the latest and greatest in its machine shop and production facility.
Having the equipment and the personnel to say yes to almost any job has become the hallmark of Pendu. While it specializes in the pallet, sawmill and wood products industries, the company has built metal fabrication and equipment for a wide variety of projects and industries.
Everything In-House, Nothing Left to Chance
At the heart of Pendu’s operation are its machining, fabrication, mechanical assembly and electrical integration capabilities all working together under one roof. That integration begins in Pendu’s machine shop, where the size and range of its equipment allow the company to produce oversized and specialized components internally.
“For example, our Viper 5-axis Bridge Mill is large enough to handle components up to 50 feet in length without having to refixture it. We can just machine it in one pass,” explained Ron Auchey of Pendu. “Part of our advantage is that we do everything in-house. We make our own rolls, arbors, shafts. We even make our own sprockets.”
Pendu’s fabrication department is much more than a welding operation. Each weldment is fabricated and fitted from the ground up, helping maintain dimensional accuracy and ensuring that machined parts, mounting points and adjoining sections come together properly during final assembly. This coordinated approach allows potential fit or alignment issues to be addressed before they reach the assembly floor or the customer’s facility.
Two 10-ton overhead cranes help Pendu’s experienced assemblers position the massive frames and components required for its custom equipment. Its expanding assembly space accommodates full equipment builds and extensive testing while assemblers integrate mechanical systems, hydraulics, pneumatics and advanced electronics.
All control packages are designed, programmed, built and wired in-house. Electrical systems must withstand demanding industrial environments while also allowing large equipment to be separated into shippable sections and efficiently reconnected during installation.
These capabilities also support replacement parts and rebuilds including equipment manufactured by competitors. Pendu’s metal fabrication expertise has even contributed to projects at 4 World Trade Center and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
When Customers Have a Fire, Pendu Makes It a Priority
Few stories illustrate Pendu’s approach to service better than what happened after a fire swept through a customer’s plant earlier this year. In the middle of the shop floor sat a small notcher undergoing a full refurbishment. “The little notcher in the middle there. That’s a complete refurb job because it came from a customer in Pennsylvania that recently had a fire,” said Goshert. Because the company needed the notcher to get back up and running, that job went to the top of the list.
Goshert stated, “When our customers have a fire, we do make that a priority. We will call other customers and explain short delays, and everyone always understands.” He added, “This customer has several pieces of equipment that could be salvaged rolling in after the fire. Since we have the resources to do everything in house, we can get customers up and running pretty quick.”
Diversification Keeps the Wheels Turning
Pendu’s customer base spans lumber, sawmill and pallet producers, and that mix is intentional. “For us, we get a mixture of it all. If we weren’t that diverse, things would be pretty slow,” admitted Goshert. This is a balance that shifts with the market conditions. One recent shift is a surge in dog-ear fence board lines, which Goshert traces to trade policy. He commented, “A lot of that wood was imported from Central America, South America, and with the tariffs, it’s kind of forcing companies to do it here in the States.”
No Surprises: Estimating and Rebuild Work
“For rebuild jobs, we give the customer a close estimate based on our knowledge, and then it becomes time and materials,” Goshert explained. With these rebuild jobs, Pendu gives weekly updates on labor and material costs. “Usually the total costs come pretty close to what we estimate.”
Tested, Trusted, Installed
Nothing leaves Pendu’s facility untested. The “Pendu Process” is critical to a project’s success. Pendu follows a formalized Applications Engineering and Project Management approach that spans from initial inquiry through equipment installation, start-up, Site Acceptance Testing, and operator training. This structured process ensures alignment with the customer on detailed equipment specifications and scope of work before a purchase order is issued. During the design phase, intermediate design reviews are conducted to gather customer input as the system evolves rather than waiting for a single final review. Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) criteria are also developed collaboratively to validate performance prior to shipment. Pendu understands that the success of any custom equipment application is driven by a true partnership with the customer. Pendu and experienced customers alike understand that custom equipment cannot always be fully proven at the OEM prior to shipment, given the many variables of real-world production, so both parties approach commissioning with the expectation that measured fine-tuning during the first 6 to 12 months is a normal and important part of achieving long-term success.
Long-Term Support and a Reputation Built One Job at a Time
Perhaps Pendu’s biggest differentiator is its willingness to support machines long after other builders have moved on. Walking past a bank of grinding cutters the company hasn’t built new in a decade, Goshert noted the equipment is still earning its keep. “We’re still running these machines because our customers still need cutters. In many cases, we can supply parts long after a lot of other suppliers have stopped.”
Even while keeping some older machining expertise alive, Pendu seeks to upgrade its processes. For example, the company is working to improve its plasma cutter. Goshert explained, “It takes about two days right now, but with this new way of operating, we’re hoping to cut it down to four or five hours.”
Pendu’s story isn’t about any single machine or market. It’s about a company that keeps saying yes — to a refurb job after a fire, to a part a competitor can’t supply, to a custom job that others don’t want to do. This willingness to adapt, backed by a machine shop that rarely has to call anyone else for help, is why Pendu keeps tackling these hard jobs and customers keep coming back. To find out how Pendu can help you with your machinery and parts needs, call (717) 354-4348 or visit www.pendu.com.
