Advanced Molding Technologies LLC is nearing completion of a $3.5 million, two-year expansion at its Circle Pines, Minn., plant.
"We have significant new business in different markets," said Advanced founder and owner Brett Nelson in a phone interview. "Sales have doubled in the past few years."
The firm is building a 36,000-square-foot facility next to its existing one to bring total area to 84,000 square feet. The construction follows a 16,000-square-foot addition last year that included adding more injection presses and a packaging line.
The new building has more than 8,000 square feet of class 7 clean room assembly space, complementing Advanced's other, established clean room capabilities. Nelson said the extra space has room for eight more presses and four are on order, a combination of Toshiba and Arburg machines. Another four will be added in the next 8 to 10 months. Advanced now has 32 presses with clamp forces of 20 to 500 tons.
"We have experienced substantial growth in our four primary markets: medical, construction, consumer products and precision automotive," Nelson said.
In the expansion Advanced's new building will be able to house a full-service, captive mold-building room, reflecting Nelson's background as a toolmaker and mechanical engineer. He established Advanced in 1999 about 15 years after starting out in the plastics industry.
An offshoot of Advanced's experience in medical molding and assembly is its qualification to make products not containing animal-derived ingredients. The clean room that molds such products also has to ensure the products are free of latex and bisphenol A.
Nelson declined to provide sales figures but said his company employs about 175 and staff will grow to about 300 once the expansion is done and the customer base grows.