Baltimore Company's Expansion Should Boost Port Business; O'Malley Leading Asian Trade Trip

Citing its commitment to Baltimore and “its excellent port,” Marlin Steel Wire Products is expanding manufacturing space by 75 percent at its Baltimore City plant and eyeing additional expansion and job creation in the future.

The extra space will allow the firm to invest in new technology, with $5 million going for new robots to used in the manufacturing process over the next decade.

“We feel a commitment to Baltimore, with its excellent port, BWI Airport, road  and transit system and talented local professionals,” said Drew Greenblatt, president of Marlin Steel Wire, in a statement. “There was never a thought to leaving the area.”

The producer of custom-made wire baskets, wire forms and sheet metal fabrications, Marlin Steel Wire exports to more than 30 foreign countries, which include China, Korea, Japan and Singapore.

The expanded space at the plant will accelerate delivery schedules to the port. Specifically, the expansion will:

--Increase the number of dock doors by 80 percent so more trucks can be  loaded and unloaded quickly.

--Unclog the aisles in the plant, boosting production flow.

--Create a "U Flow" style of manufacturing where items fl0w in U format and then out the door with much less sidetracking and idle time.

Greenblatt said the city’s infrastructure combined with local vendors and financial services made it a "no-brainer" to stay in the city.  

The company will be one of about 24 accompanying Gov.  Martin O’Malley on his trade mission to Asia, aimed at boosting the state’s exports.  

The delegation is scheduled to leave May 31 for a ten-day Asian trip, with plans to visit China, Korea and Vietnam.

Just last week in Annapolis, Gov. O’Malley signed a “memorandum of understanding” with officials from Seoul, South Korea. China is Maryland’s third-ranked export market, while South Korea ranks sixth. 

Marlin Steel Wire has had difficulty cracking the South Korean market in the past.

Marlin Steel’s lease at its present site extends through 2017 with an option to 2022. The firm also has the right of first refusal on 100,000 square feet of adjacent space.

“As one of the businesses joining the state on our upcoming trade mission to Asia, we look forward to helping Marlin Steel Wire, which already exports 25 percent of its products, open new doors in foreign markets,” O’Malley said.

“With economists predicting that Asia could have 50 percent of global GDP by 2050, it is critical that we move forward now to explore new opportunities in trade and investment,” O’Malley said.