MPW’s Industrial Water Newark service center is looking good. It began with updating the office space and grew into a larger project focused on keeping employees safe, upgrading security, and planning for future growth.
The project began when leadership asked to update the inside of the Newark building to match the standards of newer MPW locations in Georgetown, SC; Port Arthur, TX; and Yuma, AZ. With help from Facilities & Grounds Manager Scott Hiles and the team, which also included Marketing Director Chad Littrell, Brand Supervisor Boone McAdams, Senior Mechanical Engineer David Ford, and Fabricator Mike Davis, the office and break room were fully remodeled. The new design gives the space a modern look and better use of space at MPW’s original Industrial Water Division site.
Roughly 42,000 square feet of new concrete solved problems with the Newark facility’s formerly muddy parking lot and an aging drainage system. A new fence surrounds the building, significantly increasing safety and security.
The Newark service center also has new security cameras, a gate that opens with a keycard, and anticipates keycard access for office doors. These upgrades make the location as secure as any of MPW’s top facilities.
“You could go through the number of safety observations I’ve had over the past few years about the concrete, people walking through the lot, and even a police chase that ended in our parking lot,” IW General Manager Tim Dondero said, adding that the changes show that MPW listens and responds to frontline safety observations, reinforcing the company’s safety-first culture.
Another major improvement was moving the acid tank and chemical unloading area to the same side of the building. This ended the need to move chemicals overhead across the site, which could be hazardous. Now, everything is in one area, which is safer and easier to manage. Plant Manager Andrew Beck said, “It’s all in one zone now. It shortens the distance and lowers the risk.”
The service center’s footprint has changed dramatically with all the new installations—concrete, tanks, a towering acid scrubber, and new pumps out front. “That tank’s brand new, and so is the big stack behind it. Those pumps in front are new, too,” Beck said. “It’s been a lot of work, but it’s worth it when you see how it’s all coming together.”
MPW also moved equipment to make space for a possible third loading dock. While it doesn’t add more space right now, it makes it easier to expand the facility later as the deionization business grows.
From new concrete to fences to upgraded equipment, the Newark service center continues to improve. “It changes all the time,” Beck said. “If you blink, you might miss something.”