C&T Engineering Inc., a family-owned injection molding and tooling business, said it will spend $300,000 on two new injection molding presses and robotics over the next year.
Derick Troxell, co-owner and vice president, said the company is looking to purchase hybrid injection molding machines between 400-500 tons.
“My dad started the company in 1986, and so some of the equipment that we have right now is kind of antiquated,” Troxell said in a Dec. 14 phone interview. “It still runs, but we're just looking to update everything.”
C&T Engineering is located in Seymour, Ind., and currently has 15 injection molding machines ranging between 66-500 tons. Troxell said additional robotic equipment will be used for picking parts and packaging from the presses.
“We're not trying to kill jobs by any means or anything like that,” he said of the equipment. “But we're trying to expand what we're able to do and do it more efficiently.”
The company received approval for a tax abatement from the Seymour City Council earlier this month. In addition to the new equipment, C&T Engineering plans on hiring up to 10 more workers over the next year depending on further growth and demand. The injection molder currently employs 10 at the Indiana facility.
The company's largest end market is consumer products. This time of year, snow shovels are a big part of its molding business, Trexel said. C&T Engineering also molds aftermarket products for automotive as well as medical and electronics parts. Trexel's father, Richard, is co-owner and president of the company.