In the course of its history as a designer and manufacturer of hydraulic motion control systems, the U.S. facilities of the Power-Packer division of Actuant Corp. occupied a number of locations to handle changes in its business and size.

In its latest move, Power-Packer turned to Goff's Curtain Walls as a means to make better use of the space -- now and into the future.

A recent expansion of some of its manufacturing to a facility in Glendale, Wis., meant Power-Packer had to share an area with the warehouse for electrical tool and supply manufacturer Gardner Bender, another Actuant Division.

"We have two completely different functions going on in this are that need to be separated, specially considering the precision nature of our product," said Power-Packer process engineer Christopher Beck.

Though Power-Packer has a manufacturing facility in Westfield, Wis., it acquired accounts with several auto manufacturers to provide high pressure hydraulic actuation systems that open and close convertible tops and decided to install production operations in it Glendale complex.

The company provides these systems with integral electronics that connect into the overall on-board electronic control system provided by the automaker. Though this production area is not a clean room environment, the manufacturing process requires some level of debris and temperature control that is not part of the warehouse picture to insure actuator quality.

The process for manufacturing the actuators was originally developed at its Netherlands-based plant. One of the models that will be using these components is the new Chevy SSR truck. Beck indicated they knew they had to create a separate space for actuator production and was somewhat aware of curtain walls.

"I got in touch with Goff's Enterprises, the manufacturer of Curtain Walls and they connected me with a customer in the area who used their product," said Beck. "They looked ideal for our needs."

If this had been a traditional plant, Actuant would have to bring in a construction contractor and put up a wall, causing disruption to the operation and at considerable cost. The curtain Walls went up in just a day, were a fraction of the cost of a wall, and gave Power-Packer the opportunity to alter the space as its needs change.

"The curtains give us three main benefits," said Beck. "They section of the larger space, look good and are easy to move."

Starting from the top down, the Curtain Walls have a 16-guage steel channel track and roller system with enough strength to hold each of the 40-foot wide, 18-foot high, 14-guage vinyl panels. Full-length Velcro strips connect the panels to prevent debris from entering the production area, yet allow the curtains to be easily opened for moving the panels or to let large pieces of equipment into the are.

The warehouse are does not require the high light level production needs. The curtain walls prevent light dispersal outside of the desired are for more efficient electricity use.

Though the 160-foot-long curtain section is providing the precision production area Power-Packer needs now, Beck expects that the curtain walls will be on the move at some time in the near future. Right now there is ample room within the work space; the company is expecting three to five more production lines to double this area.

For more information, call Tony Goff of Goff's Enterprises Inc. at or visit www.goffscurtainwalls.com. 

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