WESTERLY, R.I.—US Extruders Inc. has nearly doubled the size of its manufacturing space to meet increasing demand for custom single-screw extruders, extrusion systems and screws for plastic, rubber and silicone.
The company has seen "unprecedented growth" of 25-30 percent compared to last year, according to a company news release.
Westerly-based US Extruders now occupies more than 31,000 square feet at the facility, which runs solely on solar power.
The company shares the space with ProSystems Integration L.L.C., which supplies US Extruders with full extruder controls. ProSystems also increased its production space by almost 40 percent during the same expansion.
The investment includes overhead cranes to improve assembly for US Extruders. The business was deemed essential at the start of the pandemic because its products are used to manufacture personal protective equipment.
US Extruders has been working at full capacity, using a cloud-based server and collaboration tools for virtual meetings, wet tests and lab trials.
"We see our growth directly tied to our commitment to providing the best extruder technology and equipment backed by unmatched customer support," President Bill Kramer said in the release.
Launched in August 2017 with several former American Kuhne Inc. employees, including Kramer, the built-to-spec extruder maker focuses solely on the North American market.
"This expansion allows us the capacity to take on the continued growth we expect in 2021," Operations Director Dan Schilke said.
US Extruders supplies the tubing, pipe, profile, reclaim, film, sheet, medical, wire and cable, and compounding industries by producing extruders ranging from 0.5 to 8-inch barrel diameters.
ProSystems provides a wide range of controls from tailored discrete controls to advanced touch screen controls.
"We are on pace for a record sales year in 2020, with 2021 forecast to be even better," Steve Pinelli, vice president of sales and marketing, said in the release.