Florida custom injection molder Octex LLC has strengthened its toolmaking abilities by acquiring another company in the state.
The Sarasota company bought privately held Choice Tool & Mold Inc. of Largo, Fla., on June 4 for undisclosed terms.
“It's part of our vertical integration strategy,” explained John Hoskins, Octex's executive vice president, in a phone interview. “We'll have a lot more control over precision.”
Octex has focused on high-precision molding for medical and other markets and Choice Tool has experience in these areas, Hoskins said. Choice Tool is a 19-person business that will fulfill most of Octex's tooling needs but it also will continue as a stand-alone operation with a diverse customer base.
Choice will benefit from Octex's metrology laboratory and other technical expertise to bid on micromolding work.
“We can help them get to a whole new level,” Hoskins said. “We like to say that at Octex, innovation is our DNA.”
Choice Tool, established in 1996, provides in-house design and engineering. It has built molds to make silicone parts, an important class of components in medical disposables.