ERIE, PA.—With one expansion complete and another in tow, minority-owned auto processor OEM/Erie Inc. knows that time waits for no one. "You have to be of certain size to be of value to customers," said Robert Marcoline, vice president and general manager of the Erie-based injection molder. "There's no lessening of demands, even for a minority company. A lot of work is being outsourced by customers."
That said, OEM/Erie has opened its checkbook. The company bought its second plant, an 80,000-square-foot building in Westland, Mich., in August. The plant was sold by Michigan molder Libralter Plastics Inc., based in Walled Lake.
OEM/Erie gained 19 injection presses with clamping forces of 250-1,000 tons as part of the purchase.
The company is in the midst of a $4 million expansion of its 120,000-square-foot Erie plant that will add 50,000 square feet and five machines in the 1,500-ton range, Marcoline said.
OEM/Erie, working with carmakers and several large suppliers, molds bumper fascias, body trim, door-panel assemblies, instrument panels, console boxes and other parts.
It projects sales will grow to $65 million by 2003, up from about $40 million last year, Marcoline said.