By Frank Antosiewicz
CORRESPONDENT
Published: November 19, 2014 2:17 pm ET
Updated: November 19, 2014 2:22 pm ET

Image By: Cy Plastics Inc.
Cy Plastics' new 350-ton Arburg injection molding machine.

Seeking a more efficient configuration, custom molder Cy Plastics Inc. invested over $500,000 in the past year, adding more machinery including a 350-ton Arburg injection molding machine. It also took over a nearby building to use for warehouse space.

“We just had more work that required more machinery, so we added more capacity,” said Cy Plastics President Andy Molodetz.

The company, known officially as Cy Plastics Works Inc., is located near Rochester in Honeoye, N.Y. The new press was the sixth Arburg that it has added in the past two years. The others were two 175-ton presses and three 55-ton machines.

Cy Plastics operates out of a 25,000-square-foot facility and makes parts for the industrial, medical, commercial and specialty consumer markets. It has 19 injection molding machines that range up to 425 tons as well as two blow molding machines. The company has 53 employees and is planning to add five more in the next two years.

The revamping of operations started with the installation of new pallet racking system in an adjacent 12,500-square-foot warehouse to support managed inventory programs. This freed up space in the main facility.

Molodetz said that the effort included rearranging most of the machinery in its main building so that a better workflow system would be in place. Among the changes were adding two Gorbel overhead crane systems; a new water distribution system; a new compressor and air lines; the creation of a new tool room and mold storage space; an upgraded electrical system; and new high efficiency lighting.

“We’re trying to not just to react to yesterday but to add more capacity to grow,” he said.

The company will continue to update the facility with a renovation of its front offices and the building exterior.

Molodetz said that the company has increased the number of hours the presses are being used by 15 percent and that the company is four times the size it was in 2006.

Over time Cy Plastics has also expanded its offering to include finishing, assembly and inventory services. He noted that they are able to do everything needed to get a product produced and shipped right to the customer’s distribution center.