V TULSA OKLAHOMA SUNDAY AUGUST 13 1972 New Building Doubles loor Space Lowrance Electronics Starts Expansion By RANK LESLIE Of the World Staff Lowrance Electronics Manufacturing Corp plans to break ground immediately for a 55-000 square foot addition to its existing headquarters-production facility at 12000 'Skelly Drive in a project costing more than $1 million Darrell J L o w r a n ce president announced Saturday The new building to go up as a two-story addition added to the east and extending to the north of the existing plant will more than double the size of the installation "We plan to break ground for the site work at once” said Lowrance "and hopefully the new building will be ready for occupancy in early 1973” THE PRESENT ACILITY finished m late 1970 and dedicated in early 1971 contains 53000 square feet of space ' inancing for the expansion again will come through National Bank of Tulsa the Oklahoma Industrial inance Authority and Tulsa Industrial Authority All were involved in the initial program which enabled Uwrance to construct its existing §2 million plant and headquarters building on the 23 acres now held by the firm Included in the new space said Lowrance will be areas for manufacturing marketing engineering and support funcations such as data processing administration and shop units "In most instances" said Ixiwrance” we will be doubling or tripling the space now provided for these operations’’ The second floor of the new wing for example said Lowrance will house all engineering sections of the firm — mechanical electrical and in dustrial This will provide the e n g i n eering sections with triple t heir present floor space Those employed in the electonic data processing operations consequently will occupy room used by the engineering sections Accounting personnel also will be given more space Outside marketing personnel will be relocated into a portion of the original building said Lowrance There will be additional room for expansion of the marketing activities THE TULSA IRM CUR-rently employes about 300 people at the main headquarters and at some production sites spread throughout the city Additionally the firm has Oktronics Inc at Okemah where another 200 are cm-peyed Lowrance’s Oktronics opcr- I ''v L a A LU' v x I - ' — s-v t ' -vr-— - - - — y — — - A V Lowrance Electronic’s 55000 square foot addition’s two story building at far right of existing plant It extends north in this architect’s rendering ations is a full-scope manufacturing organization with capabilities in production machining cable harness manufacture circuit board fabrication and assembly and electronic and electro-mechanical production Also located at Okemah as part of Oktronics is Oktronics Data Inc a manufacturer and marketer of circular magnetics and paper tape readers and handlers Announcement of the 55000 square foot expansion of Lowrance comes at a time when the Tulsa firm is nearing its 15th birthday The firm noted Lowrance began business in September 1957 with its now-f imed fish Lo-KTor backbone of its production and sales for the first few years of existence Today Lowrance is among the nation’s leading manufacturers of marine electronics including the fish detecting device IT ALSO PRODUCED AND marketed the first portable transistorized sonar unit" ip 1957 and since then has increased production to related marine instruments and has diversified into such fields as communications and avionicsA relatively new product "Levelite” designed to prevent or warn cf roll conditions in aircraft is being turned out by the Oktronics plant The company has a Powder Coating Division which treats m e t a 1 p a r ts either electrostatically or bv fluidized bed methods This division will remain outside the main installation said lyowrance "We also will be able to move most of our mechanical model shops into the main building once the new wing has been added” said the president Architect for the expansion is McCune McCune & Associates The contract for (he new building already has been awarded to Dyer Construction Co of Tulsa said Lowrance ?v -1
