B&B Tool and Die Co. Inc. has expanded production capacity and floor space with a move to a larger facility.
The toolmaker and custom injection molder added a 730-ton Van Dorn press in the move. B&B Tool's largest press previously weighed in at 400 tons. President Kurt Jones said the company now operates six injection presses, the smallest being 80 tons.
Jones said his firm invested about $1.2 million in its new building and extra equipment in the move, which was completed May 1. It now has 28,000 square feet of floor space in Muncie, about double what its former facility in Muncie had. Installation of a 15-ton crane boosts its handling capabilities.
About half of B&B Tool's sales are from custom molding for automotive, electronics and defense industries. Molding sales reached $3.4 million in 2004. The firm's other revenue stream is from tool building, the original business of the company.
B&B Tool can make, sample and validate plastic injection molds weighing as much as 20,000 pounds. With its fleet of trucks, it can do complete mold maintenance and repair work.
Jones said the business was started in 1968. He came on board in 1994, about the time ownership changed, and worked his way up to president.
B&B began custom molding in 1999. Secondary services offered by the company include part design, assembly and insert molding.