Lindsey Hahn is straightforward about how he came up with the idea for his firm's first proprietary product line.
``I was doing some remodeling at home and I fell through my ceiling,'' said the president of custom molder Metro Plastics Technology Inc. in Noblesville, Ind. ``It took me two times falling through to realize I needed to solve that problem.''
Hahn believes he has done that with AtticDek, a patent-pending storage system designed for unfinished attic space over a garage or under a roof. Hahn has created Attic Dek Corp. as a division of Metro Plastics, the custom molding firm that he founded in 1975.
At Metro Plastics, Hahn and staff mold the 16-inch-by-16-inch panels from an ABS/polycarbonate alloy on a 400-ton press, one of 23 injection molding machines at the complex in Noblesville. One square will support 200 pounds, officials said. The product is being sold through small and midsized hardware retailers.
``We built the mold, molded it, and took it to the National Hardware Show [& Lawn and Garden World] in Las Vegas and it was a hit. We're just now getting into the marketing phase. It basically eliminates plywood in your attic,'' Hahn said in a June 15 telephone interview. ``It's really been well received. It's a convenience item. Over 80 percent of households are looking for more storage space.''
Metro Plastics specializes in rapid prototyping and custom molding services for industries including automotive, consumer electronic and medical.
