Custom injection molder Venture Plastics Inc. is adding all-electric presses in one of its two Ohio plants and is planning a larger expansion in the Southwest.
The Newton Falls, Ohio-based company is installing two Milacron Roboshot all-electric presses, said Steve Trapp, Venture Plastics' vice president of sales and marketing. Each press has a clamping force of 55 tons and will begin operating later this month, Trapp said.
The installation also includes robotics and assembly equipment, Trapp said Sept. 15. The company replaced two older machines with the faster presses. Venture is spending about $200,000 for the expansion.
The company also is scouting locations near the Texas-Mexico border to build a third manufacturing plant, Trapp said. Venture would like to start with a sales, service and warehousing site in the first quarter of 2005, either in El Paso, Texas, or Ciudad Ju rez, Mexico.
Within the next 12-18 months, Venture plans to launch injection molding in that region, he added.
``We're 35 years old, and we've been able to survive by having a regional approach,'' Trapp said. ``But as the world grows up and gets more complex, you've got to go to another phase. Many of our customers might still be regional, but they have global strategies around the world.''
The company makes a variety of small, precision parts for the heavy-truck, appliance and industrial markets. Its parts include dashboard bezels, water-dispensing systems and fuel-handling systems, Trapp said. All together, Venture has 28 presses at plants in Newton Falls and Middlefield, Ohio.
Venture's majority owner is Ken Groff, who is semi-retired. The company recorded about $20 million in sales last year, Trapp said.
