Texas Injection Molding LLC is expanding again, this time adding 24,000 square feet of new warehouse space to a building that opened in 2021.
The new expansion is expected to be completed in March 2024, with additional remodeling to the initial building completed in mid-2024. The construction budget for the project is $4.1 million, CEO Jeff Applegate said in an email to Plastics News.
As part of the expansion, existing warehouse space will be converted to air-conditioned manufacturing space. Houston-based TIM will add HVAC equipment and an additional overhead crane, as well as expanding material handling, water and power to accommodate additional production work centers.
Applegate said the firm will be making decisions on size and number of presses "as growth in existing business and new projects are confirmed."
The expansion is expected to create jobs, mostly in manufacturing, with some additional operations and administrative jobs as well. Applegate said the project will allow the firm to better serve existing clients and to accommodate new industrial clients, along with "expected long-term growth" in Texas and from reshoring.
"Texas is a great location for many reasons and is attracting companies from many of the less manufacturing-friendly states," Applegate said. "[Texas] is an ideal location for reshoring manufacturing because of its easy access to the country, availability of good labor, proximity to the border and business-friendly environment.
"I have been 'long' on manufacturing for most of my career and believe that regional manufacturing will continue to grow," he added. "Texas Injection Molding is uniquely positioned in the market because of manufacturing capacity, range of press tonnage, in-house tooling, a very modern facility, value-added assembly, decorating, automation and strong technical abilities."
TIM's process and systems give the firm the ability to manage complex assemblies and provide enhanced services to clients, according to Applegate. He added that the space will provide additional manufacturing and warehousing and also will give TIM opportunities to consider growing its logistics services to larger OEM manufacturers.
The new construction from 2021 included a $6.5 million custom-built manufacturing plant that houses blow molding operations and a substantially larger tool shop. That investment included a Conair central material handling system and central water chilling system, two 85,000-pound silos for bulk material storage and three new cranes, as well as a dual-head blow molding machine.
TIM currently employs 175 and operates 30 injection molding presses.