P/M National makes parts you can find everywhere — in chainsaws, wheelchairs, cars, engines for all-terrain vehicles, the list goes on. The manufacturer specializes in making parts from powdered metals including copper, nickel and iron, subjecting them to high pressure and heating them so they’re formed into the right shape. Tom Fleming, the company’s president, says powdered metals are great to work with because they are versatile and result in almost no scrap material.
Since opening about five years ago, P/M and its 22 employees have run out of space in their 15,000-square foot facility in the northwest PA town of St. Marys. But that should change by next spring.
The Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority is lending P/M $574,000 for the $820,000 project, which will add another 28,000 square feet of production and office space. Fleming expects construction to start next month. The expanded production area should be done by December and the new office by next spring.
P/M plans to expand into its new space slowly. Fleming says another 10,000 square feet would have been good enough for now, but it doesn’t make sense to add a little bit of room every few years. He also plans to hire another 10 workers over the next three years.
Source: Tom Fleming, P/M National
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen
