San Diego — Trademark Plastics Inc. of Riverside, Calif., is narrowing its focus with fewer — but more highly trained — employees, more automated systems and higher productivity in available space.
Trademark is changing its business model and becoming "an engineering-based company offering custom injection molding services," said David Carty, chief operating officer.
Trademark has established a strong relationship with German injection molding machinery maker Arburg GmbH + Co. KG. An Arburg technology center in Irvine, Calif., is about 46 miles from Trademark's facility.
"Arburg is the best fit," said Phil Estrada, Trademark's chief operations executive. "Arburg offers technology we need to automate our processes."
Trademark is developing hands-free sorting systems and end-of-arm tooling and is creating some specialized systems to keep parts separated.
The Trademark headcount is at 175, down from 240, including temporary workers in October 2016. "We hired the high-performing temps," Carty said, but Trademark no longer relies on temporary hires.
Among the permanent employees, 30 come from a program at the Riverside campus of the California School for the Deaf and work as material handlers, machine operators and quality inspectors.
"Trademark has a mindset we appreciate and encourage," said Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey. "They looked around the city for ways to give back and ways to connect, and Trademark has done that with the deaf school."