Lomont Molding LLC has begun installation of large-tonnage presses at its R&D Molders facility in Georgetown, TX. The recent delivery of a 2,100-ton Absolute Haitian press will be followed by a 1,500-ton press in January 2018 and a 2,700-ton press in June. These three plastic presses will augment the large-tonnage presses located at Lomont’s corporate headquarters in Mt. Pleasant, IA.

Explaining the strategy, Jason Bender, President of Lomont, said, “Early supplier development is key to proper engineering for large-part injection molding. By working together early in the design process, we can find efficiencies that save time and investment dollars. By strategically locating our large-part capabilities we can best serve our growing customer base. Our supplier development program is predicated on being able to handle the entire range of injection molding requirements.”

A professional approach to helping customers with their most difficult molding challenges is why Lomont is investing so much in its large tonnage plastic machinery program. It takes a lot of innovation, vision and plastics experience to support all the challenges involved in this type of molding. This not only includes presses, but also the robotics and accessory equipment investments needed to achieve success.

Carl Frank, Marketing Manager, spoke with PlasticsToday in a phone interview about the company’s acquisition of R&D Molding last year. “We were looking for some logistics and needed a presence in the southern tier to serve our customers in Mexico,” Frank said. “We’re centering our large-tonnage molds there, but we also have some smaller presses in the 300- to 400-ton range.”

Lomont’s competencies include large and complex plastic parts; secondary assemblies; moldmaking; part production approval processes; robotics and handling equipment; precision tolerances and cosmetic surfaces; and logistics and value-added services. Frank added that R&D Molding also has capabilities in blowmolding.

The Mt. Pleasant facility began by doing profile extrusions, including trim pieces and gasketing, using the company’s two extrusion lines. Frank added that Lomont plans to expand its extrusion business in the near future to meet increasing demand from current customers sourcing both extruded and injection molded parts.

Lomont added large-tonnage injection molding at the Mt. Pleasant facility with 1,100- and a 1,500-ton presses. “We’re finding there’s a big market for large tonnage machines from a custom molder that can mold precision parts with cosmetic surfaces, something that’s not easy to find in the market currently,” said Frank.  

Lomont Molding also provides gas-assist, structural foam, overmolding, insert molding and in-mold decorating at In-Mold Technologies, which produces the company’s proprietary line of industrial safety signs and products such as lock-out/tag-out signs and label products.

Lomont Molding operates three manufacturing locations, two in Iowa in Mt. Pleasant and Reinbeck and one in Georgetown, TX. The company currently employs 350 people, and serves primarily the industrial market with a small amount of automotive as a Tier 2 supplier for bezels and interior trim. Additionally, the company recently expanded its warehouse by 25,000 square feet to accommodate its growing business.