Pulsar Plastics Inc. credits old-fashioned sales techniques for its latest expansion. The Carlyle, Ill.-based injection molder recently added 25,000 square feet of plant and office space to its current facility, bringing total square footage to 101,000, said President Dale Pashea.
"Our decision to expand was based upon the need for additional capacity to meet the requirements of our increasing sales level," Pashea said.
Pulsar reported $17 million in sales in 1999, up $1 million over 1998 sales.
While Pulsar has been able to sell its products on the Internet for the past several years, the old-fashioned way of actually leaving the office to conduct business continues to be the most reliable, Pashea said.
Pulsar's latest expansion includes room for up to six more molding machines, Pashea said. That takes into account the firm's expected progression of electronic commerce, plus a predicted sales increase of 15 percent this year.
For now, the additional space at the plant will house a new 950-ton Mitsubishi injection molding machine and a large auxiliary crane.
The company now operates 14 injection molding machines.
"The new crane can be utilized to set large molds in our 1,800-ton press and also allows the capability of turning molds in midair," Pashea said.
There also is more room for Pulsar's secondary operations, which include plastic machining, assembly, packaging, heat stamping, pad printing, and ultrasonic inserting and welding.
Pulsar is a subsidiary of Leggett & Platt Inc. of Carthage, Mo.