Pittsfield Plastics Engineering Inc. is sprucing up its appearance, improving efficiency, adding machinery and enhancing its capabilities.
President and CEO Tom Walker and Norm Worden, vice president of operations, detailed the changes at the Pittsfield, Mass., injection molder in a conference call.
The company brought in four used injection molding presses — three 20-ton Arburgs with sprue picking robots along with an 85-ton Milacron machine. Pittsfield Plastics now has 41 presses, ranging up to 750 tons of clamping force. The smaller presses enable it to mold small components that can be used with larger parts made on its bigger machines.
Walker said the additional equipment helps to round out Pittsfield's capabilities.
Worden said the company is using more automation — Star, Conair and C-Pro robots to pick out runners and parts to improve efficiency. The company also has taken steps to better utilize a material handling system that it has had in place for a while. They feed about a dozen machines, but the plan is to make it available to all the machines.
The company also increased its tooling capabilities. It added a Fryer computer numerically controlled bed mill that can handle up to 2,500 pounds on its table and a 5-ton crane to help move large molds.
The changes also include new coats of paint and adding a diamond polished finished to the floors.
“We want a clean environment,” Walker said.
Pittsfield has 85 employees, adding five in the last three months, and 85,000 square feet of space.
The company makes spools, reels, cores, cones and bobbins, and also offers custom molding and extrusion services. Pittsfield supplies the wire, cable and textile industries, as well as original equipment manufacturers.
