Kuiken Brothers shows how Newark yard was built
Kuiken Brothers has provided additional insight into how the pro dealer transformed a former cashew nut shell liquid manufacturing (CNSL) facility into a premier building materials destination.
The Midland Park, N.J.-based company officially opened its ninth residential and commercial on the Newark, N.J. waterfront in September 2019
But the 108-year-old family business did not take the traditional route of acquiring an existing business or finding a vacant warehouse.
Instead, the company acquired a site that began in the 19th century as the nation’s first smelting and refining operations and most recently used for CNSL extraction. According to Kuiken Brothers, when it bought the facility in 2016, the 10-acre property contained over 20 production and office-warehouse buildings. There were over 50 tanks, and miles of pipe and pipe bridging throughout.
Many of the tanks and manufacturing equipment were dismantled, cleaned, restored, and have been repurposed at other manufacturing sites around the world. In total, over 1,350 tons of steel and 150,000 pounds of stainless steel were recycled. About 10,000 tons of masonry was crushed and recycled for use onsite, according to Kuiken Brothers.
“By repurposing and recycling all of this material, we were able to save approximately 25% of the total cost to dismantle and demolish the site,” according to Matt Kuiken, vice president of operations at Kuiken Brothers. “These savings allowed us to invest even more into the complete rehabilitation and renovation of the site to where it stands today.” The new site offers the company the ability to offer local builders, remodelers and developers an unprecedented level of products and services.
A complete slideshow of the redevelopment process, courtesy of Kuiken Brothers, can be viewed here.
The Newark facility officially opened in September 2019 with a grand opening ceremony held last October.
The 10-acre site now features nearly 115,000 square feet of total covered storage including 72,300 square feet drive-through warehouse with 9 loading docks, auto-racking for millwork (windows, doors, moulding), drywall, insulation, hardware and more than 42,000 square feet of exterior covered racking (storage sheds, cantilever systems) for lumber, plywood, panels, engineered lumber and decking.
About 1,700 feet of rail siding runs through the property to the waterfront which accommodates the direct shipment of lumber, plywood, and drywall from lumber mills and manufacturing facilities in North America.
Additionally, the site is situated on Newark Bay commercial waterfront with deep water berth access for future growth and logistics opportunities.
“Whether you are a commercial builder working on a multi-unit project or a residential contractor making improvements, we are committed to providing the highest quality building materials and customer service to meet the needs of building professionals of all sizes and homeowners in the region,” Kuiken said.
Kuiken Brothers also operates locations in Fair Lawn, Emerson, Midland Park, Wantage, Garfield, Succasunna, and Roseland, N.J. in addition to its Warwick, N.Y. yard. The company was named HBSDealer’s 2017 ProDealer of the Year.