Calico Precision Molding LLC is expanding to accommodate new business, primarily in auto parts.
The Fort Wayne, Ind., firm was to move into a 10,000-square-foot manufacturing addition Oct. 14. The company's leased facility now has 35,000 square feet of space, Calico said in a recent press release.
Calico needed the space because its sales grew 30 percent last year, said President and Chief Executive Officer Calvin Shannon. Orders have been growing with Cooper Standard Automotive, one of its largest customers, as well as several other accounts, Shannon said in a telephone interview.
Calico plans to invest about $500,000 in the expansion by adding several presses with clamping forces of 55-220 tons, and a variety of assembly and secondary processing equipment, by mid-2006. Included in the new lineup is a 70-ton vertical press.
Shannon said his company now has 14 presses with clamping forces of 27-500 tons. It also operates rubber presses and offers secondary services including welding, O-ring assembly, leak testing and laboratory testing.
Shannon said Calico processes a lot of filled nylon, but it also uses other engineering resins and silicone rubber to make tight-tolerance parts, most of them for under-the-hood applications. The expansion will accommodate higher production of radiator filler necks, gaskets, pump components and door modules.
Calico is a Tier 2 supplier to Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., DaimlerChrysler Corp., Ford Motor Corp. and General Motors Corp. Other important markets are appliances, electronics, marine, medical, military and office equipment.
Calico is a certified minority business enterprise registered in Indiana. The company resulted from the acquisition of some assets of Connor Engineered Plastics Division in July 2001. Shannon said he and Ted Hayes, vice president of sales and engineering, are owners/managers, with silent partners holding the rest of the equity.
