The Burlington Avenue plant which once made all the steel doors for a new Chicago White Sox ballpark is now home to a company that designs and builds high-tech electrical equipment.
Last year, WASP Critical Power Solutions moved into the former Kewanee Manufacturing facility in the 1600 block of Burlington Avenue.
Luke Colwell, one of the owners of the business, said WASP CPS designs and manufactures industrial switchgear controls for a variety of industrial, commercial and military applications. Specifically, according to its website, “WASP provides complete critical power solutions with our extensive range of power protection products and services. WASP is a global business which manufactures quality fuel polishing systems, low and medium voltage switchgear, automatic transfer switches, side stream filtration, pumps, filters, oil change systems and fuel conditioners.”
What does all that mean? Colwell gave an example of exactly what WASP’s products can do: In the event of a power failure, a WASP product could instantly find a working power source on the grid and switch to it, providing uninterrupted electrical service to a hospital or other facility where electricity is crucial. The transfer, Colwell said, would happen “so quickly that no one would notice it.”
Currently, WASP employs about 30 people in Kewanee. But Colwell said he anticipates the business will expand, which would lead to more jobs here. The company employs assemblers, engineers, designers and programmers.
The former Kewanee Manufacturing plant opened in 1929, making steel doors and window frames. Among its customers were the Chicago White Sox, who purchased all the steel doors for the “new” Comiskey Park, which opened in 1991. The Burlington Avenue buildings had been vacant for about 30 years when WASP moved in late last year.
