Injection molder and mold maker Three R Plastics Inc. is in the process of adding 8,000 square feet that will double its work space.
“Initially, it will take over the molds and plastic raw material storage, but after figuring how the flow of work goes, we will then be rearranging machinery for a more productive work plan,” said Michael Gore, co-founder and president of the Spring Grove, Ill.-based company.
He said construction is progressing quickly and the addition will boost the size of its overall facility to 18,000 square feet by the early fall. The expansion also will provide a new lunch room, extra room for shipping and receiving, and more office space.
Three R currently runs 10 injection molding machines ranging from 28 to 400 tons of clamping force. It employs 22.
Over the years, Gore said Three R has increased the tonnage of its machinery to accommodate customer demand. Once the addition is completed, the company may do so again, he said.
Three R serves more than 125 clients from industries varying from medical, dental, and aerospace to automotive, industrial and consumer products. It works extensively in overmolding of parts.
Gore said that the company has worked with highly engineered resins for many years and part of its pitch is that it is able to work with many different difficult materials. Plus it's able to do tooling and prototyping.
The company was started by Michael and his father Ray in 1994. They started with one machine in Round Lake, Ill., and moved to Spring Grove in 2005.
Three R is served by three generations of the Gore family, as Michael's son Andrew is the operations manager.