SUMNER, WASH. - Excel Rotomold plans to expand space and capacity within nine months, said the president of the Sumner-based rotational molder. Andy Fitterer expects to build a 22,000-square-foot facility in the Sumner area and add a fourth rotomolder, a Ferry carousel machine. He estimated total cost at about $750,000. It now has three rotomolders, one of which it built.
Fitterer founded Excel four years ago after he began getting ideas for proprietary items in his position as a toolmaker.
Excel mainly performs custom rotomolding, including tanks, the housing for an electronic dart game, consumer products and toys.
Excel's sales last year were $550,000, more than double 1993 revenues.
Its 15 employees rotomolded about 600,000 pounds of polyethylenes and PVC last year. The firm also offers toolmaking and design services.
Eger benefits from rotomolding business
AMELIA, OHIO - Eger Products Inc.'s foray into rotational molding has landed it $2.5 million in new custom business, according to Brian Reed, national sales manager.
The Amelia plastisol dip molding firm branched into rotomolding early this year ``because a lot of existing customers buy rotomolded parts'' and because rotomolding resins are recyclable, Reed said in a telephone interview.
Eger began rotomolding in April. It operates a Ferry shuttle machine and an FSP clamshell model that it installed in an owned, vacant 20,000-square-foot plant. Reed said Eger plans to move the operation to a new 50,000-square-foot plant in the area but he provided no timetable.
Reed said his firm will take about a year to fulfill the new rotomolding contracts, which include tool building. He would not disclose customers or markets for the custom products and declined to describe Eger's proprietary product lines. The company rotomolds polyethylenes, PVC and polycarbonate resins.
Eger, founded 27 years ago, does about $5 million in annual plastisol sales in products as diverse as exercise grips, electrical insulators and gas pump nozzle covers.
The private firm mainly sells through independent sales representatives. Eight of its 80 employees are involved in rotomolding.
General Polymers to sell Novacor resins
CALGARY, ALBERTA - General Polymers Division of Ashland Chemical Co. has agreed to dedicate a sales team to distribute rotational molding resins supplied by Novacor Chemicals Ltd. of Calgary.
Novacor will train and support General Polymers personnel who will sell Novacor rotomolding resins exclusively, Novacor recently announced.
The company began the arrangement in western Canada and will extend it to the United States and the rest of Canada.
The two firms expect the program to improve sales because personnel will better understand their markets and products. Novacor's rotomolding resins include trade names Novapol and Sclair, the latter acquired when Novacor bought DuPont Canada Inc.'s polyethylene business last year.
Castex Inc. planning further equipment
HOLLAND, MICH. - Castex Inc. is eyeing further rotomolding expansion after the recent installation of its eighth production line.
The Holland company captively rotomolds polyethylene and PVC housings for commercial floor machines such as vacuum cleaners and carpet extractors.
``We will add more lines for our lofty sales goals,'' said Wayne Boeve, Castex's director of manufacturing.
The company's sales last year were $52 million, but Boeve said he was unable to break out the fraction that rotomolding represented.
Castex spent about $250,000 for its latest rotomolder, a Ferry machine, and related equipment. It now has five Ferry rotomolders and three FSP models. It has both clamshell and independent-arm carousel type machines.
Castex was a private company in Holland until early 1994, when Tennant Co. of Minneapolis bought it. Several months later, Castex moved into a new, 240,000-square-foot plant, also in Holland.
Tennant closed its commercial floor machine plant in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and moved it to the new Holland plant.
Boeve estimated the cost of the new facility, relocation and expansion with installation of three more rotational molding machines at about $8 million. The new facility is 21/2 times larger than Castex's former plant.
Boeve said Castex does not rotomold for other Tennant businesses, which include industrial floor machines. Tennant's sales last year were about $350 million.