# Stern Pinball's New Factory **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2015-02-20 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/sternfactory.html --- ## Analysis Stern Pinball announced in February 2015 that it is relocating from its Melrose Park, Illinois facility (home since 1999, previously housing Sega and Data East Pinball) to a new 110,000 sq ft building in Elk Grove Village, approximately 10 miles away. The move triples their available space and consolidates off-site storage, with relocation expected to complete by mid-April 2015. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Stern Pinball vacated a building that has been their home since 1999 — _Official statement from Stern Pinball; historical fact confirmed in article_ - [HIGH] The new building is 110,000 square feet, about three times larger than the current facility — _Direct quote from Stern Pinball representative_ - [HIGH] Stern currently utilizes approximately 15,000 square feet of off-site storage — _Direct statement from Stern Pinball_ - [HIGH] The new facility is located around 10 miles away in Elk Grove Village — _Pinball News article text_ - [HIGH] The company completed the move by mid-April 2015 — _Stern Pinball stated mid-April as expected completion date_ ### Notable Quotes > "We've just grown out of the [present] space. The new building is 110,000 square feet or about three times larger than our current facility." > — **Stern Pinball representative** > _Quantifies the scale of expansion and justification for relocation_ > "We wanted to disrupt the business as little as possible and keep our workforce intact. So we scouted for buildings nearby." > — **Stern Pinball representative** > _Reveals business continuity priorities and decision-making process_ > "The configuration of the building will allow us to improve our workflow, add lines, and consolidate our operations." > — **Stern Pinball representative** > _Outlines operational benefits of the new facility_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer relocating from Melrose Park to Elk Grove Village, Illinois in 2015 | | Melrose Park, Illinois | location | Previous Stern Pinball facility home since 1999 (and previously Sega/Data East) | | Elk Grove Village, Illinois | location | New Stern Pinball facility location, approximately 10 miles northwest of previous location | | Sega Pinball | company | Previous operator of the Melrose Park facility before Stern Pinball | | Data East Pinball | company | Previous operator of the Melrose Park facility before Sega Pinball | | O'Hare Airport | location | Reference point for geographic location of both old and new Stern facilities | | Janice Avenue facility | location | Official name of the Melrose Park facility being vacated | ### Topics - **Primary:** Manufacturing facility expansion, Business operations and workflow optimization, Stern Pinball company growth - **Secondary:** Pinball industry manufacturing ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.75) — Tone is factual and informative, with positive implications of growth and expansion. No negative sentiment present. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Emphasis on workforce retention and minimal business disruption suggests stable, loyal employee base and mature operational philosophy (confidence: high) — Direct quote: 'We wanted to disrupt the business as little as possible and keep our workforce intact. So we scouted for buildings nearby.' - **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball tripling manufacturing space and consolidating operations indicates strong business growth and confidence in market demand (confidence: high) — 110,000 sq ft new facility is three times larger than previous space; consolidating 15,000 sq ft of off-site storage indicates growth from 1999 establishment --- ## Transcript Date: 20th February 2015 Last September Stern Pinball announced they would be vacating the building which has been their home since the company was formed in 1999, and before that as Sega Pinball and Data East Pinball. Stern Pinball's home for the past 16 years The Janice Avenue facility in Melrose Park, Illinois should be vacated by the middle of April as the company completes its move to a new larger building around 10 miles away in Elk Grove Village. Work has been taking place over the last few months to refurbish the new building, and we can now bring you pictures from inside. The new office space (click to enlarge) Pinball News asked Stern Pinball why they are moving and how the new building compares to their previous home. They told us, "We've just grown out of the [present] space. The new building is 110,000 square feet or about three times larger than our current facility. Currently we utilize off-site storage of approximately 15,000 square feet, so when you include that we'll roughly double our space." They are not moving too far though. While Melrose Park is around five miles due south of Chicago's O'Hare Airport, Elk Grove Village is just a couple of miles northwest of the airport. Stern explained why they stayed in the O'Hare area. "We wanted to disrupt the business as little as possible and keep our workforce intact. So we scouted for buildings nearby." And what did they select? Here's a look at the new factory floor. The new factory floor (click to enlarge) According to Stern, the new factory "will improve our efficiency. The configuration of the building will allow us to improve our workflow, add lines, and consolidate our operations. We'll start moving in March... we expect to have everything moved by mid-April." The new factory floor (click to enlarge) Will they be taking all the old equipment, or use the relocation to refresh it? "We'll be doing a little of both", they told us. But anyone hoping to pick up a souvenir of pinball manufacturing in Melrose Park will have to wait. When we asked if Stern would consider selling off or raising money for charity by selling any equipment or memorabilia from the old building, they said, "Perhaps. We need to get a little farther along before making that determination." Back to the News page Like this page? Share it with your Facebook friends: Back to the front page _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 49e2b692-99f8-407a-b432-15a2d8e5b2f9*