Auxiliary equipment supplier Molding Automation Concepts Inc. (MAC) completed a major expansion, increasing both its land and plant size at its headquarters site in Woodstock, Ill., to handle an upswing in sales attributed to trends of reshoring and automation.
Founded in 1980, MAC offers automation and parts-handling solutions to the plastics industry, including conveyors, automated box-fill systems, portable resin bins, resin loaders, part separators and diverters, inspection tables, clean rooms, drum and gaylord boxes, filter covers, air conveying systems, robot guarding and more.
In addition to reshoring, MAC is busy automating plastics production facilities to address the labor shortage, according to Joe Gracia, MAC national sales manager.
"Customers continue to automate, as they continue to have trouble finding workers. Our strength is part handling equipment, so the increase in automation is good for our business. We're seeing new projects in packaging, medical and other markets," Gracia said in a news release.
The expansion was necessary to keep up with the company's increased sales from a variety of customers, according to MAC President and CEO Frank Eltvedt.
"We're seeing continued year-over-year growth, and we anticipate that continuing across all segments of the plastics and packaging industry," Eltvedt said in the release. "We continue to hire new staff and needed more space."
For the expansion, MAC acquired 4.4 acres of nearby land for a total 7.5-acre parcel and put a 30,000-square-foot addition onto its existing building for a total plant size of 74,000 square feet. There's also space for another 50,000-square-foot building if needed.
Eltvedt said that the new space will be used mostly for manufacturing, including an expanded area for mechanical and electrical assembly as well as quality control and finished goods inventory.
In addition, the company has built a new sewing room for producing the company's popular line of gaylord covers.
MAC received economic incentives given to community projects that create jobs and retain manufactures from the Harvard/Woodstock Enterprise Zone and the City of Woodstock through its tax increment financing program.
The company currently has 62 employees, which is up 15 percent from last year, according to Theresa Reynolds, production operations manager.
"We're continuing to hire employees to keep up with our growth," Reynolds said. "We expect to be up to 70 employees by the end of 2023."