Mesa Industries, a manufacturer of liquid colorants and color concentrates, finished the first phase of a three-phase expansion of its Phoenix facility. At completion, the expansion will bring the company's annual concentrate capacity to just more than 17 million pounds, according to the firm. The installation of the new line marked the end of a six-month research and development program in partnership with HPM Corp. that sought to develop the optimum high-performance screw for the specific products designated to run on the new line.
The expansion's second phase, scheduled for completion by the end of May, will add continuous mixer capability to Mesa. The mixers are suited for producing high loadings of heavy metal-free and specialty additive products.
Phase three is scheduled for completion during the end of the third quarter. Also planned for this year is the addition of a second plant located closer to Mesa Industries' customers in the central United States for faster turnaround and delivery. Mesa Indus-tries President Craig Degnaro said the 6-year-old company has seen phenomenal growth.
``We ship all over the country,'' Degnaro said, ``and we're looking to offer better support to our customers in the Midwest and South-Central regions.''
Degnaro said the firm is in-creasing its process engineering staff and buying new equipment to improve quality and efficiency.
Mesa Industries increased its capabilities in its liquid colorant production with the installation of a new line of liquid dispersing equipment. The new equipment promises to be able to increase the strength of Mesa Industries' organic pigments, and also improve the stability of the liquid itself, the company said.
Mesa Industries employs 35.