Lincoln Electric’s Wayne Trail Technologies Opens Newly Expanded Facility in Western Ohio

Wayne Trail, a long-established automation integrator in Fort Loramie, will bring 50 new and highly skilled advanced manufacturing jobs to the small Ohio town, located about 30 miles north of Dayton.

The company, which has been in Fort Loramie since 1962, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 28 to celebrate the opening of its newly expanded manufacturing plant. The expansion, which brings the facility to 95,000 square feet, will add 50 jobs to the company’s existing 170-person workforce.

Wayne Trail provides innovative, customized and affordable metal forming, metal joining, fabrication and material handling solutions for companies in the aerospace, automotive, appliance and energy industries. It was acquired in 2012 by Cleveland-based Lincoln Electric, a world leader in the design, development and manufacturing of arc welding products and robotic arc welding systems. Around that time, Wayne Trail leased an additional 17,000 square feet in Anna, Ohio, to accommodate the growing demand for its products. In 2016, Wayne Trail leased another 30,000 square feet.

The expansion enables the company to consolidate all of its operations in one location. It also gives Wayne Trail the ability to continue growing its engineering and manufacturing capabilities.

Officials from parent company Lincoln Electric considered expanding in Michigan and Tennessee where it has existing automation facilities. They chose to expand its Ohio operations, however, for a combination of reasons: the operational strength of the existing business in Fort Loramie, the proximity to the company’s customer base, and the support provided by both the local community and the state to keep the business in Ohio.

“Our roots and Lincoln Electric’s roots are both in Ohio,” said John Campbell, general manager at Wayne Trail. “We are vested in the communities where we live and work. We have always collaborated with trade schools and local colleges to provide and train current and future members of our workforce. As long as the spirit of community and collaboration exists to enable success, why wouldn’t we want to grow in Ohio?”