Molder and mold maker Nexgen Mold & Tool Inc. spent the last two years reaching out to potential new customers outside its normal business base in semiconductor markets. With new contracts coming in, as a response to that work, the company is adding production and employees.
New Albany, Ind.-based Nexgen — which just installed its 17th molding line, a 200-ton press — has announced plans for a $3.1 million expansion that will give it three more new presses ranging from 350-440 tons in clamp force.
Nexgen also will add 12 jobs to its current employee base of 34 people by the end of the second quarter, and build a 2,600-square-foot addition, owner and President John Lukes said in a Feb. 2 telephone interview.
Nexgen designs and builds molds as well as oversees prototyping, testing and full production, offering customers a complete package, Lukes said.
Its core business in the semiconductor industry provided more stability during the recession than other industries, he said, and the company was able to build on that base while reaching out to new customers. It focused on its ability to develop new parts, often anticipating firms' needs and presenting solutions that new customers did not know were available.
That approach has brought in business with major firms such as United Parcel Service Inc. and Hunter Douglas as well as transportation industry suppliers.
The state of Indiana is providing up to $48,000 in training grants to aid Nexgen with the expansion.