MCPHERSON, KAN. - In March, Ferguson Production Inc. underwent a modest equipment expansion and modernization. The custom injection molder invested $550,000 to buy two new presses and upgrade two existing machines. The McPherson-based firm also added a material handling system, four sprue pickers and two pick-and-place robots.
The company's end markets include the recreation, industrial and appliance industries. Fer-guson employs 78 and had sales of $5.7 million last year.
D&L plans to add storage, machinery
JACKSONVILLE, TEXAS - D&L Tool-ing & Plastics Inc. will add a warehouse to its complex in Jack-sonville by the end of the year for storage of parts and machinery as well as raw materials.
The 15,000- to 18,000-square-foot facility will free space in other buildings in order to add machinery. D&L Tooling & Plas-tics will invest $150,000 in the structure and $250,000 in equipment. The equipment includes four injection molding machines, as well as grinders and auxiliary equipment.
D&L is expanding in part be-cause of an impending contract for medical parts.
``It's in the works but the contract is not complete,'' said Vice President Darrell Dement. ``The prototype tools have been built and approved.''
The complex will consist of four connected buildings and the new warehouse. Two acres next to the complex also have been purchased for parking.
D&L employs 55 and plans to hire 15 additional workers. The company's fiscal year-end sales were $3 million.
The company produces custom molded products for the building and construction, recreation, agricultural and medical industries.
D.A. expands plant, buys three presses
CHARLESTOWN, IND. - An injection molding company that serves Toyota Motor Manufacturing USA Inc. and Honda of America Manu-facturing Inc. expanded its plant and added equipment.
D.A. Inc. of Charlestown added 18,000 square feet to its 12,000-square-foot facility. The firm also added three injection presses. Increased demand from Toyota drove the $1.5 million expansion, which occurred last July.
D.A. has 22 injection presses and 27 employees. The firm, which hired three new employees at the time of the expansion, produces parts from polypropylene and nylon.
Part of Japan's Daiwa Kasei Industry Co., D.A. had sales of $6.5 million last year.
DeRoyal to purchase five more machines
PORTLAND, TENN. - By the end of the year, DeRoyal Plastics Group plans to add five injection molding machines to the nine currently installed at its Portland plant.
Vice President Jay Cude said the company will invest more than $1 million in the addition, which is being spurred by increased customer demand. DeRoyal plans to add 10-12 em-ployees to the 90 it has now. Cude added that the Portland plant is highly automated, so not many employees will be needed.
Last year, DeRoyal's injection molding sales were $16 million.
DeRoyal uses copolymer poly-propylenes to make products for the medical industry. The firm has molding plants in Powell and Portland, Tenn., and Sanford, Fla.
Advanced Plastics plans summer growth
SHERMAN, MISS. - Advanced Plastics Inc. of Sherman plans to expand its plant and equipment this summer.
President Don Hershfelt said the $2.5 million expansion will add 20,000 square feet and two injection molding machines. The addition will be operational during the fourth quarter of this year.
Advanced Plastics custom molds for the electrical, appliance, recreation, furniture and agricultural industries. It has 95 employees, 15 presses and posted 1995 sales of $13 million.
R&D swaps presses for new equipment
EARLHAM, IOWA - R&D Engineer-ing in Earlham traded in seven vintage injection molding ma-chines for six new ones late last year.
Though the firm plans to expand in the future, R&D's $700,000 investment was a big step for now, according to spokesman Rod Ramsey. The new machines provide the company with extra production capacity. R&D now has nine injection presses and 25 employees.
The custom molder serves the automotive, furniture, lottery business, implement and farm machinery industries.
Topcraft to build engineering center
WARMINSTER, PA. - Topcraft Precision Molders in Warminster said it will build an engineering center in the next three to six months. The center will make it easier for the company to get involved early on with programs to design products.
The engineering center, also in Warminster, will cover 7,000-10,000 square feet. The $500,000 to $1 million facility will have four injection presses capable of processing all types of plastics. The purpose of the center will be to design products, sample materials and test prototypes.
With the latest in computer-aided design and manufacturing, Topcraft will be able to test prototypes one piece at a time.
The additional building also will help streamline production, according to Bob Piazza, vice president of sales and marketing.
Without the engineering center, Topcraft interrupts production flow to test designs. When the center is completed, Piazza expects production to be more efficient.
He said the firm has a conservative, five-year plan to nearly double annual sales to $20 million.