Trico Plastics Inc. has installed a 720-ton Toshiba press and appointed a new general manager at its Azusa, Calif., custom molding plant. Kurt Edwards now heads Trico's 21-press injection molding and mold-making operations. He had worked at DSM Engineering Plastics Inc., a custom compounder of engineering thermoplastics based in Evansville, Ind.
The company plans to tap his experience with engineering resins, said Jack Kerzman, who, along with Helmut Rail, founded the firm.
The new machine, Trico's first Toshiba, bolsters the high end of the company's 55- to 1,000-ton capability - a mix of Van Dorns, Cincinnati Milacrons, HPMs and Arburgs.
The expansion accommodates new customer growth, especially in electronics and sporting goods, Edwards said in a recent telephone interview.
He estimated last year's sales at more than $7 million. Foamed instrument housings, typically molded of ABS, also make up a considerable portion of its business, he said.
Edwards' expertise fits Trico's goal of expanding its technical and engineering applications.
``Some of our best customers have needed us to develop special resin formulations to match their performance and cost targets, which is part of how we've built the business,'' Kerzman said in a news release.
Besides ABS, the company uses polypropylene, nylon, polycarbonate, polysulfone and polyetherimide.
With about 27,500 square feet of manufacturing space at Azusa, Trico mainly molds components for original equipment markets including business machines, electrical/electronic products and sporting goods.
Among its products are parts for the skin diving, fishing and hunting markets, gears, electronic housings and printed circuit board racks.
The 30-year-old firm, which employs about 135, designs and makes molds strictly for in-house use.