Trim-Lok doubling footprint in Indiana

Trim-Lok Inc. plans to expand its Elkhart, Ind., manufacturing and warehouse operation two-fold into a facility that eventually will allow it to increase the size of its work force and capabilities.

A leading producer of thermoplastic and thermoset rubber profile extrusions, the company's new, larger structure will be a state-of-the-art facility that spans 150,000 square feet, more than doubling its present set-up consisting of three buildings: a manufacturing plant, a warehouse and a building used for raw materials and other items, according to Dan Whitener, vice president and chief operating officer.

Located on the eastern border of Elkhart, the new plant also will have an additional 5,500 square feet of office space and feature the latest technologies to support all facets of the business, the company said in a news release.

Trim-Lok's Elkhart facility is one of three operated by the firm. The other two, which together cover a total of 400,000 square feet, are located in Buena Park, Calif., where the company is headquartered.

Founded in 1971 and celebrating its 50th anniversary, the firm expects to complete the expansion project by the spring of 2022, a spokeswoman said. The Elkhart border location of the new facility will allow for shorter transit times for raw materials and finished goods, and for better management of freight for both Trim-Lok and its customers, according to the company statement.

In addition, it said shipment times to customers also will be shortened because inventory will be easier to manage in a more central location for customers east of the Rocky Mountains.

Whitener said that the plant's work force — including manufacturing and warehouse jobs as well as office positions — is expected to grow. "We employ 250 people at our West Coast plant and 40 in Indiana," he noted. "We will increase the size of the Indiana work force, but how many will be determined by demand."

A variety of new machinery and processes needed to increase capacity and implement new capabilities will be added at the Elkhart complex, said Marc Maloney, Midwest general manager. He added that, at this time, the firm can't divulge any proprietary information on the additional machines or new advanced technologies earmarked for the Elkhart facility.

"Having manufacturing capabilities in the Midwest is a critical component of our ability to support our customers, especially with the market the way it is currently," Whitener said. "We have a fairly small, yet resilient work force and set of capabilities in our current 27,000-square-foot [manufacturing] facility. With the expansion, we will be growing not only our physical footprint but our work force and capability set."

He said that another prime reason behind the expansion is that Trim-Lok is looking to better serve its customers in that part of the country with the expansion. "This pulls everything under one roof. The expansion is to help both long-term customers and new customers, both big and small."

Trim-Lok is a critical supplier of goods to a wide variety of customers in a wide variety of segments, including defense, food service, aviation, agricultural equipment, medical and numerous other industries, Whitener said. "To a degree, we're recession-proof."

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company hardly slowed down and kept producing and supplying products for customers, he said.

Maloney added that the firm's business model "has allowed Trim-Lok to supply the largest of original equipment manufacturers to the smallest of end users with the same engineering support and product quality.

"We're definitely stronger now than we've ever been in our 50-year history," said Whitener, who's been running the firm for about nine years. "The company was started basically by my dad, Gary, with a single customer and two employees. Today we see ourselves as No. 1 in the industry for what we do."

In addition to its manufacturing and distribution facilities in the Midwest and West Coast, Trim-Lok has distribution sites in Ireland, Holland, New Zealand, Australia, Iran, Mexico, Japan and at multiple locations in the U.S. and globally.

Since 1971, Trim-Lok has provided rubber and plastic trim and seal parts to customers. It designs parts and tooling and fabricates to exact customer specifications.