Welch Allyn leases Auburn building for additional warehouse space

AUBURN — Welch Allyn, Inc. has signed a lease to use the former Mustad Manufacturing and Assembly building at 247 Grant Ave. (State Route 5) in Auburn.

The Skaneateles Falls–based medical-device manufacturer needs the 54,000-square-foot facility for additional warehouse and shipping space, the company said in a statement it issued to CNYBJ on March 10.

The privately held company declined to disclose how much it is paying to lease the structure.

Welch Allyn said “recent growth” has increased operations at its Skaneateles Falls headquarters. The growth includes the addition of several new production lines in its final-assembly and product-service areas, the company said.

The company is also involved in “new activities” resulting from its business-development efforts, including partnerships with “multiple” original-equipment manufacturers on new-product fulfillment, specifically the spot vision screener.

Welch Allyn said it chose the Auburn facility because a “large percentage” of its workforce lives in the area and the building had the proper layout and overall size.

The company said it isn’t initially planning to create new jobs at the Auburn site, but will instead deploy between 10 and 20 full-time employees “over time” from its headquarters to help manage inventory and shipping.

Welch Allyn has a small team preparing the site for operations, including some “minor” repairs. The firm hopes to begin operations there “in a few weeks.”

“It will be several months before all operations are in place based on our current plan,” Welch Allyn said.

John Bouck, broker and owner of Bouck Real Estate of Auburn, first announced the Welch Allyn lease-signing in a news release on Feb. 24.

Bouck represented the building’s owner in the lease negotiation. 

The building is in “excellent” condition and will only need “minor” changes to accommodate the Welch Allyn business.

The building has been vacant for several months after Mustad Corp., the largest fish-hook manufacturer in the world, moved North American operations from Auburn to Miami, according to the Bouck news release. 

Welch Allyn also considered its former Jordan Road facility in Skaneateles Falls, but determined it’s “simply not a cost effective option for our warehousing needs,” according to the Welch Allyn statement. 

The company said it plans to continue to “pursue the sale of that facility.”