News

Team 1 Plastics Installs New 5-Ton Crane

Team 1 Plastics, a plastic injection molding company for the transportation industry, has stayed focused on growth, despite recent challenges in the market.  Between the COVID-19 pandemic, transitions within the market to electric vehicles, and supply chain instability, Team 1 has fought against the odds: seeing record sales, adding new customers, and securing growth on the production floor.

In 2021, Team 1 installed its first 450-ton molding machine; a move that would help them to eliminate outsourcing of larger tonnage parts, while also providing backup capacity if needed.  Last month, the company added a second 450-ton molding machine to its fleet.  Over the weekend, the injection molding company exhibited another example of its growth with the delivery and installation of a new 5-ton Yale crane in its Maintenance Department.

When asked what prompted Team 1 to purchase this larger crane, Maintenance Manager Andy Zblewski shared, “Team 1’s Maintenance Department had previously used a 2-ton Gorbel crane for many years and it worked very well for us.  However, with the company expanding to larger tonnage machines, larger tooling began to arrive that exceeded the 2-ton capacity.  Maintenance was splitting the tools on the production floor of the plant, using its 5-ton crane, and then transporting the halves by mold cart to the Maintenance workroom.”

Splitting the tools on the plant floor was taking valuable crane time from the tool setter and creating potential safety hazards to others working nearby.  Not only will the larger crane allow Team Members to transfer the tools more efficiently, but it will also provide a safer environment in the main plant.  Additionally, the larger crane covers the entire Maintenance work area, as opposed to the 2-ton crane, which only covered about half the work area.

Andy gladly shared that the “Maintenance staff are thrilled and are very happy with the more efficient and safer environment that this addition has brought.”