In April, Intertech announced the expansion of its capabilities and capacity at its Denver, CO, facility. On July 17, the company announced the acquisition of Image Molding, a Denver-based injection molding and contract manufacturing service provider to the medical devices industry. Image will join Intertech Plastics as the medical division of Intertech Plastics Inc., extending Intertech's offerings to OEMs in the consumer products, industrial and medical industries.

"We've been in negotiations with image for some time now," said Intertech Chairman and CEO Noel Ginsburg, "and the skills and capabilities that Image brings augments our capabilities tremendously, and are a great addition to the company."

The acquisition doubles Intertech's machine fleet, adding Image's 25 to its own 25. The 50 presses range from 33-160 tons, and the combined company will have 160,000-sq-ft of manufacturing space. Intertech believes the acquisition of Image Molding will make it one of the largest injection molding companies in the Rocky Mountain region. Image Molding also has in-house mold making capabilities, white room molding, a high-end metrology lab, and an ISO Class 7 certified clean room. The company is also ISO 9001:2008 and 13483:2003 certified for medical device manufacturing to provide a highly regulated part fulfillment environment.

Tim Nakari, Intertech's director of marketing, told PlasticsToday the acquisition will bolster its existing work for the healthcare industry.

"Intertech has serviced the medical industry, and does currently," Nakari said, "but with parts that aren’t necessarily molded in a clean room. For example we make a collection vessel for liposuction—it wouldn’t be accurate to say that Intertech has been a true 'medical molder,' not in the same light that Image is, where medical is literally all they do."

Ewan Grantham, Image Molding president, and one of the founders of the company in 1997, commented, "We couldn't be happier. The depth of engineering and management support that Intertech brings will be a great enhancement here, as will the increased ERP technology and sales support. We have a great synergy in the works here."

In April, Intertech Plastics added two new Husky 1000-ton molding presses and the related automation, and installed a state-of-the-art centralized chilling system to allow Intertech as part of a reshoring-fueled boom.

Intertech has a wide variety of presses including 13 that range from 55 through 400 tons clamping force, and 12 large tonnage presses ranging from 500-1500 tons. The company specializes in consumer and household products sold in the Big Box stores nationally to consumers, in addition to a variety of industrial and packaging products sold directly to OEMs.

Intertech Plastics is the perfect example of how small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute to the growth of manufacturing in the United States. That growth is something that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will see first-hand when she visits Intertech's facility on Friday, July 19, the first stop on a nationwide listening tour. Secretary Pritzker will travel across the United States to meet with business and thought leaders, entrepreneurs, academics and Department of Commerce employees to discuss how the Department can serve as a bridge to the business community to promote economic growth and job creation.

"It's an honor to have Secretary Pritzker visit us here at Intertech Plastics headquarters," stated Ginsburg. "It will be a delight to share with her some of the ways we've been able to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. I applaud the Administration for reaching out to local businesses to hear their challenges and what they need to succeed. We look forward to addressing these matters with such a key member of the President's team."