OCT. 29–LAS CRUCES, N.M.–By the end of November, Multi-Plastics of New Mexico Inc. will have moved from the 22,000-square-foot plant it is now in, to a 77,000-square-foot building that it just bought. And if all goes according to plan, the company will soon be employing 25 people, an increase from the 14 it started the year with.

“Business is going well. We are making parts for relays that are used in the electronics industry, and we are making medical devices that are normally seen in emergency rooms,” says Bryn Davis, company general manager, told New Mexico Business Weekly. “We are putting in a cleanroom…for more of the medical work that we are expecting to get.”

The privately-held firm runs its injection molding machines 24 hours a day, five days a week and is shipping more than $1 million worth of products a year.

The move was necessitated by the company’s growth, and though it will have more space than it needs for now, in the big scheme of things, this is a worthwhile financial investment,” Davis says.

“We’ll be 500 feet away from a ramp on Interstate 25, and spitting distance away from New Mexico State University. So we are in an excellent location,” Davis says.

Multi-Plastics is owned by Multi-Plastics of Saegertown, Penn. The company opened its Las Cruces operation in 1996 to take advantage of Mexico’s growing manufacturing industry. Together the two plants ship about $10 million worth of product a year, Davis says.

Multi-Plastics will spend about $500,000 just getting the new building ready. The building is being rewired to accommodate large injection molding machines, and some 25,000 square feet worth of ceiling is being repainted.

The trick of the move is to be able to shut down operations at the old plant, get the several ton injection molding machines onto trucks, drive them two miles to the new plant, install them, and get them running with a minimum amount of down time.

“From the time that we start moving, we want to cease operations and be in production in the new location in 72 hours or less,” Davis says, adding that the move should be complete by late November.