Polycarbonate thermoformer Form/Tec Plastics Inc. is adding 4,000 square feet of space to provide room for a new oven and an Onsrud 5-axis router.
“The addition will take 2-3 weeks. The oven and router we'd like installed by mid-July so that they are functional by August,” said Brad Shields, president of the Martinsville, Ind., company, in a phone interview.
He said that the company currently has two computer-numerically controlled routers, so the new equipment will be its third. Shields noted the new machine has a 5-foot-by-10-foot table and will enable it to work on taller items.
“We are trying to increase capacity without overloading our shifts,” he said, noting that the company expects to hire six more employees due to the expansion.
The company currently operates out of a 133,000 square foot facility. Form/Tec is known for its Shields line of windscreens, shields and canopies that are used in the racing, heavy equipment, marine and military applications.
It prides itself on its ability to do forming as well as post-coating of the PC. Form/Tec's products are used where glass was once used, according to Shields. He said that customers are finding that it weighs less and reduces sound.
He said Form/Tec's windshields are used in products ranging from agricultural vehicles to Disney World's monorail.
The Martinsville Common Council approved a 6-year real property tax abatement and a 5-year personal property tax abatement to help the company take on the estimated $311,000 project.
Form/Tec was established in 1975 by Bill and Jacki Shields. Brad is part of the second generation to run the company. The Shields family has been actively involved in their community, coaching at the local schools and creating Camp Discovery, designed to meet the needs of children with autism.
“We've been blessed and we like to be a strong advocate in the community,” said Brad Shields.
He said that the latest initiative is to encourage employees to volunteer for a Special Olympics event in Indianapolis
