A year-long renovation to rubber molder and compounder Trostel Ltd.’s headquarters has positioned the company to offer a more advanced set of manufacturing capabilities to its customers. The transformation has evolved the legacy manufacturer’s facility into a modern, sophisticated operation focused on research and development, material science application and prototyping.
This gives customers the ability to come to the facility to concept a solution, watch prototypes be developed and tested, and ultimately see the creation of a final product. The strategic focus on pre-production development ensures that products meet exacting quality assurance standards before entering mass production.
While it maintains a best-in-class, ISO/TS 16949:2009 certified manufacturing facility in Reynosa, Mexico, the upgrades to its headquarters have also expanded Trostel’s capacity to mold products regionally. A more efficient manufacturing footprint and a raised ceiling have allowed for the installation of two new, custom-designed injection molding machines from Germany, with the ability to add additional presses to meet customer needs. “These upgrades to our facility represent the next chapter in Trostel’s manufacturing story,” said CEO Steve Dyer.
“With an enhanced building that gives us expanded capacity, we’re doubling down on capabilities for our customers, ensuring that our operations exceed the industry standard in engineering, technology and quality.” In addition to the manufacturing space, Trostel renovated 17,000 square feet of office space to better integrate its engineering experts and to build a collaborative work environment that encourages discussion, idea sharing and creative solutions. The new space also is home to Trostel Rubber Consulting Services – a comprehensive offering for its compounding and molding customers, as well as companies that want to tap into the company’s valuable engineering insights to improve product design and prototyping, tool design and setup, as well as failure analysis.
The company also recently expanded its Polymer Compounding facility in Whitewater, Wis. There, a 10,000-square-foot addition improved the facility’s material flow and allowed for the addition of new capital equipment. The expansion there was brought on by significant growth in Trostel’s custom mix business, and the additional space and equipment will help improve efficiency and safety. The mixing facility was designed after a comprehensive study of the world’s top compounding plants, and supports an experienced staff of chemists and technicians, a fully equipped prototype lab and the latest in process quality assurance testing equipment.