Diana and John Hoyt got bored with retirement so they're jumping back into the plastics Industry.
The married couple have founded Tech-Plas Inc., a startup, woman-owned business gearing up for production in Battle Creek, Mich.
“We've been doing the groundwork for the past year,” Diana Hoyt said in a phone interview.
Diana brings her business administration skills to the new company while John leads the engineering and operational side of Tech-Plas. John had owned Great Lakes Molding Inc. in Galesburg, Mich., and sold it in 2011. They then levered their experience into consulting services and John took a stint working for someone else until the plastics bug bit them again and they decided to launch Tech-Plas.
The Hoyts' aim to start injection molding this summer with Toshiba presses in the 30- to 110-ton range. They will focus initially on technical work in medical and dental markets, Diana explained. Although they are proximate to a big market for automotive parts, Diana said they would limit such work to about a 10th of sales.
“We discovered automotive can be volatile,” Diana explained.
Tech-Plas will buy Toshiba all-electric injection presses. John said the machines get high marks from him for performance, durability, ease of control and backup service. Tech-Plas is placing machinery orders with Intec Sales Co. Inc. of St. Clair, Mich.
John said Tech-Plas hopes to finalize a building purchase the week of April 27. The 6,000-square-foot facility should be big enough for the firm's first 10 molding machines, he said.
Diana, 60, and John, 75, are ready to enter the rough and tumble world of custom molding. They believe that as a woman-owned company, Tech-Plas could have a competitive edge with customers who want to diversify their supplier base.
