FENTON, MO. — Alois Koller, founder of Koller-Craft Plastic Products, an injection molding company in Fenton, died Feb. 15 after a short illness.
Koller, 86, founded Koller-Craft Plastic Products in 1941. He continued working there until a few weeks before his death, said his son, Alois Koller Jr., who is president of the company. At the time of his death, he also served on the board of directors of Commerce Bank in St. Louis.
Koller-Craft, now a division of Koller Enterprises Inc., does both custom and proprietary molding, with its business split about evenly between the two categories.
The firm's proprietary business includes molding housewares and hardware products and commercial lighting products.
Initially, in the 1940s, the Fenton company molded products for the defense industry. It later expanded into automotive parts, medical parts and lighting.
Koller-Craft began molding plastic carburetor components in the 1970s.
Koller's grandson, Alois Koller III, works at the company. He also is the current treasurer of the St. Louis Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers. Other survivors include Koller's wife, Marie Claire Koller, and two daughters.