Injection molder Plastic Molding Technology Inc. (PMT) of El Paso, Texas, has significantly boosted its lineup of presses this year to accommodate new business that it said should result in double-digit sales growth for 2021.

The contract molder has invested almost $1 million to add 10 new Maruka USA Toyo presses and a range of auxiliary equipment. The presses include three 55-ton, four 110-ton and two 200-ton machines, and its first under 40 tons: a horizontal, 20-ton Toyo. PMT now has 72 presses.

PMT also purchased two Gorbel overheard cranes, several HY Robotics three-axis robots and sprue pickers, dryers from Novatec with central conveying systems and conveyors with part separation.

"Several of our customers are experiencing record growth within their respective industries to support infrastructure in the USA," PMT owner and CEO Charles Sholtis said in a Sept. 21 news release. The new machines will support customers in the telecommunications, electrical and medical device markets.

In February 2020, the company purchased four all-electric presses and retired four older machines. Also at that time, the company had plans to lease 39,000 square feet of additional space in the building it occupies, which would have given it a total of almost 100,000 square feet.

When COVID-19 struck, PMT decided not to proceed with the expansion — though it has still managed to fit all the new presses into the existing space through "creative rearranging." The company said it even has room for four or five more machines.

Some of PMT's products include automotive stereo speaker frames, disposable medical components used in eye surgery, and jacks and connectors for internet routers.

The company ranked No. 213 in Plastics News' recent survey of North American injection molders, with estimated sales of $27.5 million. It employs about 100 people.

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