Pennsylvania-based custom injection molder C&J Industries continues to expand, this time adding $1.4 million in new machinery.
The purchase of four new all-electric Toshiba presses and an AGIE Charmilles FO550 die-sinking EDM machine gives C&J a total of 50 injection molding machines, ranging from 20-720 tons of clamping force.
The expansion is in response to double-digit growth in the past three years, according to David Lennox, C&J's vice president of operations. He attributed much of the growth to the company's 10-year mold warranty.
Lennox said C&J is seeing growth in all market segments.
According to Mark Fuhrman, the company's director of sales and marketing, about 29 percent of C&J's business in medical device molding and another 28 percent for the pharmaceutical industry, with particular emphasis on drug delivery devices.
Other major end-markets include industrial, telecommunications and consumer products. The company has seen around 15 percent year-over-year growth since 2008, Fuhrman said.
Over the past four years, while much of the U.S. manufacturing base was struggling, C&J has invested more than $10 million in capital equipment purchases and expansion projects. A $6.8 million renovation and expansion at its Meadville, Pa. plant became fully operational at the beginning of 2012, including a 30,000 square foot addition to house a new 12,000 square foot white room, new quality assurance facilities and additional warehouse space.
“One of the philosophies that C&J has is that we want to have more capacity than our customers need,” Fuhrman said. “When we get to a certain trigger point, we start looking to increase capacity. As a custom molder with this much sales activity, you need to have capacity just to stay ahead.”