DETROIT — Canadian supplier Triam Automotive Inc. plans to double the size of its facility later this year and bolster its injection molding operation.
The Concord, Ontario-based firm set course on its expansion plans after winning new contracts from General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. to make plastic exterior and interior parts, Triam program manager Richard Singh said Feb. 23 at SAE '98 in Detroit.
The work will take place at Triam's Stoney Creek, Ontario, site, where the company conducts its injection molding work. It plans to add 20,000 square feet to the plant's existing 110,000-square-foot building, and install at least six injection presses with clamping forces of 500-3,300 tons. The project will be complete in two to three months, Singh said.
Triam also will construct a 100,000-square-foot facilty next to the original plant. That building, targeted for completion in March 1999, will include a paint line and possibly more presses, Singh said. Currently, the molder ships parts to outside companies for painting.
``When we move our paint line in-house, we'll be better able to control the entire process,'' he said.
Initially, the company plans to paint side moldings for GM's Cadillac Eldorado bodies.
Triam recently started on contracts to produce fender liners, step pads and side rails for GM's 1999 Sierra and Silverado pickup trucks. Another new job will involve molding interior side shields and other trim pieces for Ford's 1999 Windstar minivan.
Currently, Stoney Creek has 11 presses, Singh said. Cost of the expansion was not disclosed.
This year, Triam's plastics division expects to double its 1996 sales of $21 million, he said. Companywide sales totaled about $84 million last year.
