Aucilla Plastics is an ISO 9001:2008–certified plastic injection molder serving the medical, industrial and electronics industries. Founded in 1977, Aucilla Plastics operates 24/7 with 22 injection molding presses ranging from 38 to 200 tons equipped with automation. Additionally the company has in-house tool building and prototyping, as well as engineering expertise.
In an interview with PlasticsToday, Danis explained that, since 2010, he has purchased one company per year, and is currently negotiating yet another acquisition. "Our goal is to have a facility close to our customers," Danis said. "We are a national company that provides local service.
"Our goal in acquiring other companies is to increase our support and capabilities for our customers across the country, so in return they will bring their manufacturing business back to the United States," Danis added.
Danis typically acquires smaller, privately-held firms. The biggest challenge for these small molding companies is securing the resources required to advance technologically, improve facilities and acquire more equipment, Danis explained. Currently Plastic Molding Manufacturing has four plants: The headquarters in Hudson, MA, as well as plants in Berlin, CT, and Lancaster, PA, and now in South Bend, IN.
"Our growth and sales will continue to increase with each acquisition. As reshoring continues to be a leading factor for our growth, the more local plastic manufacturing facilities we can offer our customers, the more corporate stability we will be able to provide," said Danis. This gives Plastic Molding Manufacturing the size and scale it needs to operate more cost effectivey with greater efficiencies. Currently, the company operates a total of 106 injection molding machines ranging from 24 to 500 tons; five two-shot presses; and an ISO certified cleanroom.
Plastic Molding Manufacturing has benefited from multiple technologies and engineering competencies from each acquisition. The company has consolidated various operational functions such as purchasing, accounting, human resources and engineering as well as systems and management into a corporate group. The company has invested in real-time communication technologies enabling corporate-wide video conferencing and communications.
"Consolidation has helped us realize cost savings that are difficult to achieve by individual, smaller companies, and we're not duplicating resources at the individual plant," Danis added. "It reduces overhead to a more serviceable and effective scale. Purchasing material can be done more effectively by buying the company's required resins and allocating shipments to the various plants."
The plants also offer a contingency plan. "If something happens at one plant, we can move the work to another plant and get the work done there to service our customers," said Danis, who added that everyone at the company is excited about the growth of Plastic Molding Manufacturing.
"Our customers are excited, as well," he said. "Many of them are bringing some of their products back from offshore to be produced locally. That's what we want to be—a local manufacturer as well as a reshorer that [helps] bring manufacturing back to our country."
