Updated Sept. 25
Injection molder Evco Plastics Inc. is building a 31,025-square-foot addition to its Oshkosh, Wis., facility to meet increasing demand for large part molding.
The new manufacturing area will house up to four large-tonnage machines and auxiliary equipment along with warehouse space.
"We're investing about $2.6 million in the addition, including reinforced concrete for the space under the new machines, and about $4 million in equipment," Mike Grobe, the Evco Oshkosh plant manager, said in an email.
Company officials said the site's second expansion in 10 years will help Evco meet customers' project plans across a wide variety of industries and applications.
"After assessing our customers' needs, we knew it was the right time to once again expand the physical space and capabilities at our Oshkosh facility," Evco President Dale Evans said in a news release. "This addition will help us meet our customers' high expectations and long-term production goals."
Founded in 1964, DeForest, Wis.-based Evco operates nine manufacturing facilities worldwide with 1,400 employees operating 190 injection molding machines ranging from 28-3,500 tons.
The Oshkosh site primarily serves the large agriculture equipment, powers sports and packaging markets, Grobe said.
"We run a lot of highly cosmetic fenders, side panels, and hoods for a variety of agriculture and power sports clients," he added.
The additional manufacturing space will open in January with new 2,500- and 3,500-ton presses, dryers, portable chillers and other equipment to support the increased production capacity. The remaining space will have room for two more machines as well as an increase in warehouse storage for molds and finished parts.
"When the addition is complete, we will add a 3,500 and 2,500 machine to our existing arsenal of five machines over 1,000 tons," Grobe said. "This equates to two 3,500-tons, one 3,300-ton, two 2,500-tons and two 1,000-tons."
When the addition is fully operational, the plant will have a total area of 130,000 square feet and 22 injection molding machines.
"The added manufacturing space and storage space will result in a much more efficient product flow," Grobe said.
Worldwide, Evco will have a total of 35 large-tonnage molding machines of over 1,000 tons and the capacity to handle large molds up to 100,000 pounds.
Evco has increased its workforce in Oshkosh 20 percent since the start of 2019 to meet customer demand. The trend will continue when production begins at the expanded manufacturing area. By 2020, the site will have more than 100 employees.
"Large part molding is a key focus at Evco Oshkosh, where we're routinely molding highly cosmetic body panels in engineering-grade resins," Grobe said. "The new expansion will allow for additional press capacity and warehousing to maximize product output."
The jobs being created cover a range of positions, including operators, setup technicians, quality technicians and master schedulers, Grobe said.
With an estimated $160 million in annual sales, Evco ranks 59th among North American injection molders, according to Plastics News' latest ranking. In addition to the large parts market, the company serves the medical, health care, packaging, consumer goods and industrial products markets.