Miami Lakes, Fla.-based injection molder National Molding LLC is closing its Ambridge, Pa., factory.
The company disclosed the move to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry in a January filing required under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. It said the closing will affect 43 employees and that layoffs would take place between May 31 and August 30.
National Molding did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to the company's website, the 50,000-square-foot Ambridge facilty, with 40 injection presses, is the company's smallest molding factory.
Globally, the company has four other injection molding plants — two in Florida, one in Toronto and one in Shanghai — with 290 presses and $108 million in injection molding sales, according to the 2018 Plastics News sales ranking of injection molding firms.
The automotive market has historically been key for the company, but it's been diversifying and expanding in recent years. It acquired medical injection molder Ven-Tel Plastics Corp. in Largo, Fla., in 2016 and purchased a controlling interest in Canadian molder Dynaplas Ltd. in 2017. Those two acquisitions have over 100 molding machines, according to the company's website.
National Molding has developed its own proprietary "hetero-cavity system" for quick change modular tools, and said it manufactures over 1 billion parts a year in high volume applications like buckles and fasteners for automotive and retail markets. It also has business in plumbing and electronics manufacturing.