Mack invests $3.5M in molding, prototype businesses to upgrade, diversify

Anaheim, Calif. — Mack Group has invested nearly $3.5 million to expand its molding and prototype businesses with the purchase of new Milacron presses, auxiliary equipment and automation to meet demand for new projects and for customers looking to re- or near-shore existing production.

The investment includes $475,000 for Mack Prototype, its wholly owned subsidiary, to revamp its CNC technology, expand its quality lab with a CMM machine, and an energy-efficient heat pump.

New industrial and energy customers are driving growth at Mack Molding, Josh Pang, president of Mack North told Plastics News at MD&M West, held Feb. 4-6 in Anaheim.

Mack Molding's Cavendish, Vt., plant added 1,100-ton and a 500-ton presses. Its East Arlington, Vt., plant has upgraded its equipment with a 500-ton press, a 950-ton and a 1,500-ton press to replace older models. Mack's Statesville, N.C. facility gained a 610-ton and a 1,100-ton press.

"There's been a refresh and some of the some of the older presses there, but specifically … two [presses] in Cavendish and three in Arlington [are] actually slated for new customers," Pang said.

"Compared to traditional hydraulic models, they offer improved energy efficiency, reduced cycle times, and greater precision, enabling us to better serve our customers while optimizing production processes," Bryan Campbell, president of Mack South, said in the release.

Between medical customers revamping after over-stocking during the pandemic and re- and near-shoring from President Donald Trump's America First trade policies, Mack is seeing growth across many markets, Pang said.

"During COVID ... our customer portfolio is so diverse that we were able to actually grow during that time. We were able to leverage certain markets," he said.

Mack will continue to leverage strategic diversity in end markets to "understand where we would benefit most," he added.

Some of Mack's customers are bringing programs to Mack in the U.S. that they used to outsource, Pang said.

"I think they see an additional risk. Because ultimately … it's the continuity supply and having a supply that actually matters. When you have tariffs in this market that benefit sending it out overseas … is getting smaller. So, when it comes to price, we can get a lot closer to where our customers are playing right now. We have the best of both worlds, even," he said.

As a large-scale molder, Mack Medical doesn't focus on small-part, high-volume production, like much of the rest of the medical molding industry, Pang said. Its larger capabilities set it apart as a medical molder that can also work with metals and assembly, he added.

By integrating all of its capabilities, Mack "can actually save our customers a lot of money through doing value add, and that they're not paying logistics and freight from all these different suppliers. That we can do everything under one roof. We put it all together and we can ship it to them," Dwalin DeBoer, vice president of sales and engineering at Mack, told PN.

Gardner, Mass.-based Mack Prototype is upgrading its CNC machining capabilities with the addition of a Haas VF2-SS high-speed mill, which can machine both plastics and metals. The unit can also perform tight-tolerance secondary operations on injection molded parts, including PPSU, PEI, and composite materials.

Mack Prototype is also introducing a Hexagon Global S7.10.7 Scan Plus Coordinate Measuring Machine to its quality lab. The inspection system allows the facility to measure ultra-tight tolerances and complex dimensions, critical for medical and defense applications, a Feb. 5 news release said.

Customers in industrial robotics, defense and medical inspired the need for upgraded technologies at Mack Prototype, President Greg Cebular told PN.

"We can machine higher volumes of parts more quickly, more accurately, and it allows us some flexibility with the new technology to do different materials. We're able to do composite filled materials as well as metals," Cebular said.

"This investment allows us to improve accuracy, speed, and quality in our machining operations," Cebular said in the Feb. 5 release. "With a probing system integrated into the CNC, we can enhance precision and reduce variability in our production processes."

The facility houses 12 CNC 3-axis milling machines, some with 4-axis capabilities, utilizing Haas, Milltronics and Fadel CNC machining equipment.

"Our customers demand extreme precision, and this CMM ensures we meet those requirements," Cebular said. "It ties directly into our CNC operations, allowing us to inspect dimensions on parts we couldn't inspect before and significantly improve our capabilities."

Mack Prototype also installed hybrid industrial mini-split heat pump, which help maximize electric efficiency, switching to backup heating when necessary, the release said.

"Our goal is to reduce reliance on traditional oil and gas while ensuring a comfortable working environment," Cebular said. "With rebates offsetting much of the investment, we're able to implement these energy-efficient upgrades in a cost-effective way while achieving a 25 percent efficiency gain over traditional heating and cooling systems."

"We're in 100-year-old mill building … with 80,000 square feet" of space, Cebular said. "The new technology allows us to have to be able to go electric. And be able to … when temperatures get colder [in New England], that we can switch back to gas heat … because we have to be able to provide a comfortable working environment for our employees."

Mack specializes in plastics design, prototyping, molding, sheet metal fabrication, full-service machining and medical device manufacturing. Mack is a privately-owned business operating 11 facilities globally. It operates more than 120 plastic injection molding machines, ranging from 28 to 4,000 tons with barrel sizes from 0.6 ounces to 800 oz.