Wurst and Weld, two longtime Kansas City companies, expand

It’s a win-win for Wurst and Weld, two Kansas City companies that are taking different paths for expansion.

Henry Wurst Inc., founded in 1937, has installed a new $8 million commercial printing press in its North Kansas City facility at 1331 Saline St. The company, which employs 200 and expects to hire about 30 more, lays claim to being the largest printer in the Kansas City region outside of The Kansas City Star.

The new press, which is half the length of a football field, positions Wurst to better compete with faster printing times in the direct mail and marketing communications industry.

“This was the most significant investment decision we’ve made,” said Mike Wurst, grandson of the company founder. “We’ve had to continue to reinvest year after year, but this was a big one to expand our capacity and flexibility and reach new markets.”

Weld Racing LLC, founded in 1967, has bought two companies to build on its record as the nation’s most successful racing wheel manufacturer. Weld acquired HiPer Technology, a Lawrence-based manufacturer of carbon fiber wheels for all-terrain and side-by-side vehicles, and this spring moved the HiPer operations to Weld’s site at 6600 Stadium Drive.

Also moving to Weld’s 200,000-square-foot Kansas City facility from Florida by the end of 2016 will be CCW Forged Performance, which makes forged aluminum wheels for the luxury and import high-performance market.

“We just got back from a show in Abu Dhabi,” said Jennifer Collins, Weld’s marketing manager. “We have an international reach and have had a real growth spurt in the last few years — 2014 and 2015 were both growth records.”

Weld is privately owned by Granite Creek Partners, an equity partnership.

This story was originally published April 26, 2016 at 10:50 AM with the headline "Wurst and Weld, two longtime Kansas City companies, expand."