Plastics processor and prototyper Brecher Manufacturing LLC in Riverside, Calif., is ramping up for larger-volume production runs to accommodate customers in the U.S. and Mexico frustrated by overseas supply-chain snarls.
"Most of our customers were struggling, and especially now, with containers coming from China being stuck in Long Beach," James Bryan, Brecher vice president of sourcing and manufacturing, said in a Jan. 3 telephone interview.
The company has worked with partners in China, but has seen a "huge spike" in demand for the convenience of U.S. manufacturing.
"It pays dividends when you have a short lead time," Bryan said.
Brecher, a contract manufacturer specializing in plastic and metal parts integration, performs injection molding, rotational molding and sheet metal fabrication.
Most of the demand growth Bryan has seen has been for plastic parts, especially in agriculture, consumer goods and some medical.
"We're already in the process of being able to produce more," he added. "We're allocating more resources to production as opposed to rapid prototyping. Instead of just doing small batches, we can make parts in the thousands or hundreds of thousands. We are training our people to change over quickly."
The company expects to add a 300-ton Engel injection press next month. It currently has six machines ranging in clamping force from 30-200 tons. Brecher's rotomolding machines range from 28-400 tons.
Brecher's sole manufacturing plant is in Riverside and it has an assembly site in Tecate, Mexico. The company's staff size varies from 15-30, Bryan said.