MARLBOROUGH, CONN. (March 28, 1:35 p.m. ET) — Marlborough Plastics Inc. has been waiting a long time to expand, and this is the right time, according to President Joe Asklar.
“The project has been on the back burner for about 10 years and this year, we're finally going to pull the trigger. The last 10 years have not been easy,” Asklar said in a telephone interview.
He said the Marlborough, Conn.-based company is currently building an 11,250 square foot facility in a nearby industrial park that it is about half mile from its current site. It is expecting to move from its 4,500 square foot home in July.
Asklar said that the company recently got a job that originally was being done in China and “we see this as a catalyst to move.”
He said Marlborough survived the tough times by being frugal and carrying no debt, and that the movement of projects back from overseas provides optimism about the future.
The custom molder was incorporated in 1958 and was purchased by Asklar in 1979. He said the company believes in old-time values, builds its own tools in-house and even pays 100 percent of its eight employees' health insurance. It prizes its long-time employees.
Marlborough does injection and insert molding, as well as sonic welding and assembly. It works for the defense, electronic, aerospace, sporting good and electronic industries. The company recently expanded its proprietary saltwater fishing line with the purchase of Bliz Lures LLC of Tiverton, R.I.
Asklar said the company also makes saltwater fishing lures for other clients, and the Bliz deal adds to the variety.
He said the company has worked with the state Department of Economic and Community Development as well as other state and local agencies to plan the expansion. It is building on land that it already owns, but the state helped with a low interest $320,000 loan, along with a $100,000 matching grant to purchase new machinery.
Marlborough has injection molding machines ranging in size from 35 to 300 tons and plans to add another press in the 550-700 ton range. It is also looking at adding another computer numerically controlled machining center as well.
Asklar plans to add clean room space in the new building, although final details have not been worked out.
