D'Addario buys two Farmingdale buildings in $9 million expansion project

D’Addario & Co., a maker of guitar strings, drumheads and sticks, reeds and other music accessories, has purchased two industrial buildings adjacent to its Farmingdale headquarters as part of a $9 million expansion project, the company said Wednesday.

D’Addario will shift manufacturing of its Evans Drumheads from 540 Smith St. to 525 and 535 Smith St. The two buildings, previously a plant for hummus maker Sabra Dipping Co., will be redeveloped into one larger facility totaling around 37,000 square feet.

“We like to keep things here on Long Island, and the properties are right next door to our headquarters,” said Tom Stack, director of global design, planning and construction for D’Addario. “It was our opportunity to expand our campus approach.”

The company, which has around 810 employees on Long Island and 1,200 globally, currently houses local manufacturing operations in three buildings along Smith Street.

The Babylon Industrial Development Agency aided D'Addario in the project, providing a property tax break over multiple years and a sales tax exemption for two years, company officials said.

Stack, who is also accredited in sustainable design and construction, said Evans Drumheads manufacturing is housed in the same building as its raw materials wire mill facility, which will have more space once Evans is relocated.

"We're giving Evans room to grow, and we're also expanding the wire facility” with the purchase, Stack said. 

D'Addario will install "more high-tech wire making, coating and plastic-molding equipment" that will require some additional employees, though hiring may be offset by automation in some areas, company officals said.

D’Addario sells its products in 120 countries and had sales of nearly $180 million last year.

Sabra closed its Farmingdale operations last year, laying off 22 workers there.

Cushman & Wakefield and MGM Islandwide Realty Inc. represented the seller and the buyer, respectively, in the sale.