Cup Acquisition LLC, which does business as Custom Profile, is expanding its Juarez, Mexico, operation following steady growth of its extrusion and in-line fabrication business serving the home appliance market.
The Walker, Mich.-based company recently signed a lease for an additional 27,500 square feet of production and warehouse space, bringing its total to 77,500 square feet in Juarez.
Custom Profile plans to add up to 50 employees — the plant has 200 now — and more extrusion equipment in the next two to three years, according to Steve Maxson, vice president of sales and marketing.
"The growth is driven by solid global industry demand for appliances related to positive housing and consumer 'nesting' trends," Maxson said in an email.
Custom Profile offers three categories of extrusion used in appliances, he added. The categories cover color and gloss co-extrusion for aesthetic appeal; dual durometer co-extrusion for hard and soft material combinations; and tri-extrusion to provide different finishes, colors and combinations of rigid and soft materials.
For example, Maxson said a tri-extrusion profile could be an appliance trim made of three different materials, such as a rigid core from polystyrene (HIPS), a soft thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) for fingers or seals, and a styrene-butadiene copolymer skin layer to increase the gloss and aesthetic appearance.
Custom Profile will use half of the extra leased space for production and half as a warehouse, Maxson said.
In addition to profile extrusion, the Juarez operation also offers tubing extrusion, overmolding and assembly operations.
Founded in 1992, Custom Profile also has manufacturing plants in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Camden, S.C.
With an estimated $50 million in sales, Custom Profile ranks 59th among North American pipe, profile and tubing producers, according to Plastics News' latest ranking.