Now that Plastek Industries Inc. has set up shop on British soil, the company plans to continue its global expansion with a new molding facility in Brazil.
The injection molder and toolmaker, based in Erie, Pa., will open an injection molding plant in Sao Paulo by April, said Joseph Prischak, president and chief executive officer.
The company recently made its first foray outside North America, opening a 160,000-square-foot plant in late June in Mansfield, England.
Both plants will mold packaging for consumer products, including mascara tubes and deodorant sticks, Prischak said. The products are made from materials that include high density polyethylene, polypropylene and thermoplastic polyester.
``We've been doing work in the United States that we can ship overseas,'' Prischak said.
The British plant has 50 injection presses with clamping forces of 300-450 tons, Prischak said.
The 170,000-square-foot Brazilian plant will include a similar number of presses and automated equipment, he said.
Each facility will employ 200 within the year, Prischak said.
Investment in the plants was not disclosed, but some British media put the price of the Mansfield plant at $21.4 million for building and equipment.
Among Plastek's operations are U.S. plants in Erie; Laconia, N.H.; and Leominster, Mass. Besides packaging, the company molds parts for industries including automotive, electrical, computer, telecommunications, and aerospace.
The company ranked 44th on Plastics News' list of injection molders, with an estimated $125 million in 1998 sales.