German rotomolder to build U.S. facility
Biedenkopf, Germany - German rotational molder Elkamet Kunststofftechnik GmbH will invest $4.85 million to build its first North American facility, in Hendersonville, N.C.
The site will produce nylon tanks and tank assemblies for the construction and agriculture industries, according to a March 20 news release from North Carolina Gov. Michael Easley's office.
Elkamet received a $125,000 grant from the state to help finance its project. The company expects to employ 50 people.
Biedenkopf-based Elkamet has about 42 million euros ($50.8 million) in annual sales, producing extruded window profiles for the auto industry, rotomolded tanks and lighting equipment.
R.W. & Able moving across the country
CHICO, CALIF. - Aftermarket car interior specialist R.W. & Able Inc. is moving from California to North Carolina as part of a $2.1 million project that will put the company closer to its customers.
Chico-based R.W. & Able will open a facility in Rocky Mount, N.C., that will employ 50 to thermoform custom door panels and trim made with ABS for hot-rod cars and trucks.
The company received a $25,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund economic development authority to help bring the business to the area.
About 80 percent of the firm's customers are on the East Coast, said owner Blaine Roberts in a March 20 news release. Locating in North Carolina will allow the company to reduce its delivery times and costs.
Pipe maker considers Phoenix presence
HILLIARD, OHIO - Hilliard-based Advanced Drainage Systems Inc. plans to build a pipe-making facility in Phoenix.
ADS officials would not provide details on the project.
According to developer Jim Harrison, president of Phoenix-based Harrison Properties, there is about $1 million in site improvement needed for the parcel to meet zoning approval. There is some disagreement between the developer and ADS as to who should pay for that, he said.
Tori Durliat, an ADS spokeswoman, cited a large customer base in Phoenix as the reason for building a plant there. In a news release, Joe Chlapaty, ADS president and chief executive officer, said customers will benefit from a faster response time and reduced freight costs.
ADS purchased Hancor Inc. in Findlay, Ohio, last year in a blockbuster deal that paired the two largest producers of high density polyethylene pipe in North America. Now, ADS has 43 domestic and international manufacturing plants, making 2- to 60-inch pipe for drainage and storm sewer applications. The new Phoenix plant will be the company's 44th.
Tenn. molder adds 2 coinjection presses
COOKEVILLE, TENN. - Putnam County Plastics Molding Inc. is entering a new era, adding two coinjection molding machines, each with 550 tons of clamping force.
The first of the new presses is up and running at the firm's 136,000-square-foot headquarters plant in Cookeville, according to plant manager Doug Goolsby. The second machine should be ready for full production by early April.
The presses, which can mold two different materials, give the company versatility and could open new markets, Goolsby said in a March 22 telephone interview. He added that the machines are new but he is experienced in their operation, having served as a Battenfeld field service technician for eight years.
``We're trying to position ourselves as a full-service provider. This gives us more variety and makes us a more rounded molder,'' he said.
The additions are part of a $1 million upgrade that PCPM began last year, said Ricky Sherrell, vice president and co-owner.
Sherrell said that, in all, his company has added seven new injection molding machines in addition to auxiliary equipment and robots in the past year. In December, the firm also bought the building that it had been leasing. PCPM runs a total of 27 presses, from 55-880 tons, and employs 80.
Sherrell would not disclose sales, but he said they were up more than 15 percent in 2005; the company expects 2006 sales growth of 20 percent, he said.
As a custom molder, PCPM makes anything from automotive accessories to electrical, novelty and consumer products.