HANOVER, MD. - An unexpected delay in one customer's order led Grafco Industries into production for another, and expansion at one of the company's plants. Grafco, a Hanover-based maker of injection blow molded PET containers, will add a new blow molding line at its Hanover plant in the first quarter of 1996. The company plans to increase production of bottles for Meridian Clear, a noncarbonated, flavored spring water.
Grafco Industries currently has seven lines at the Hanover facility, and more than 10 blow molding lines at its Morrow, Ga., plant.
``We began producing for Meridian Clear in January, after an order we thought we were going to have from another customer was delayed,'' said Ed Logue, Grafco vice president for sales. ``Since then, the line we dedicated in the [Morrow] plant is completely at capacity.''
The new line added to the Hanover plant also will be dedicated to the Meridian Clear 38-millimeter-necked bottle.
Although Grafco makes a range of PET injection blow molded containers for the food, cosmetic, health and beauty, pharmaceutical and household chemical markets, the Meridian Clear bottle was the company's first venture into beverage containers.
``The bottled water sector has grown quite a bit and is expected to grow more,'' Logue said. ``We want to stay in the custom category and not get into the general beverage container business.''
Grafco was 56th in Plastics News' 1994 ranking of North American blow molders, with annual blow molding sales of $21.5 million.
