Elastomers molder Chamberlain Phipps Materials (Canada) Ltd. has grown by acquiring the Lewiston, Maine, operation of L&A Molding Corp.
Chamberlain injection molds and extrudes thermoplastic elastomers and thermoplastic rubbers at its plant in Stoney Creek, Ontario. L&A's operations will be consolidated there from Lewiston by July, according to Chamberlain manager of sales and marketing Luke Pfeifle. L&A employs about 45 in Lewiston.
Pfeifle said in a telephone interview that the two companies complement one another. L&A in Lewiston is concentrated in footwear markets, counting among its customers L.L. Bean. Chamberlain is a more diverse molder that also supplies molded footwear components such as shoe and boot soles.
Chamberlain will move most of L&A's equipment to Stoney Creek, but it will relocate a multistation, three-color press to sister company J-Von, a compounder in Leominster, Mass.
``There is too much footwear capacity,'' Pfeifle said when explaining the rationale behind the April 5 purchase. He did not disclose terms.
Chamberlain and L&A combined will have annual sales of about $8 million, Pfeifle estimated. L&A's Lewiston operation has been diversifying into nonfootwear markets and has accounts to mold dog toys, handles for exercise equipment and other elastomer products. It does a lot of insert and foam molding.
Newgrange Group of North Smithfield, R.I., owns Chamberlain and J-Von. It also owns urethane molder ATP in North Smithfield. L&A's Lewiston plant was privately owned. A sister company, Hudson Color Concentrates Inc. of Hudson, N.H., will continue. Pfeifle joined Chamberlain from his former position of vice president of sales and marketing for L&A.