Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch tours iMARK Molding Inc. in November 2017 after joining the company in announcing its expansion plans.
Products: Working hand in hand with its diverse base of customers to ensure that its plastic injection molding products meet their exact specifications is what differentiates iMARK Molding Inc. from its competitors. From beginning to end of an injection molding project, iMARK, located in St. Croix County, makes certain its customers are apprised every step of the way how their projects are progressing. Plastic injection molding is an industry requiring a precise touch and unending resolve to produce parts that meet and exceed customer expectations. With a motto of “We do the hard right. Never the easy wrong,” iMARK works closely with its customers at in all phases of the project – from concept to engineering and design to production – and sets the standard for quality every step of the way.
Market: iMARK Molding was founded in 2000 by Mark Sturtevant, who decided the plastic injection molding industry needed a company with a better approach and commitment to facilities, employees and customers. The company focuses on early involvement from customers and creating fully integrated solutions so that its products are designed without defects and will not fail when utilized in manufacturing processes. Located about 40 minutes from the Twin Cities, iMARK is a world-class supplier in the medical and diagnostic industries.
Commitment to employee development: In 2014, iMARK and two other local plastics manufacturers formed the St. Croix County Manufacturing Consortium, which has received two Wisconsin Fast Forward Grants from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The first grant of $170,264 was used to coordinate a plastic injection molding training program, in partnership with Workforce Resource, Inc. The consortium received another Fast Forward grant, also in partnership with Workforce Resource Inc., of $219,146 in 2015 for leadership training for supervisors and to develop a “boot camp” unskilled workers entering the plastics industry.
iMARK also has received the Training Excellence Award from RJG Inc., a national training and consulting company that specializes in the injection molding industry. The award recognized iMARK for its commitment to the RJG Master Molder certification program, which is the industry standard for injection molding processing training. The company also was a recipient of the IQMS Manufacturing Success Award, which recognizes operational excellence and leadership in user companies and their employees. iMARK Molding maintains two ISO certifications: ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003. ISO is an independent international organization that develops market-based certifications to support innovation and solutions to global challenges.
Business success: To meet the growing demand for its products and services, iMARK is currently undergoing an $18 million expansion project that will more than triple the size of the company’s existing 38,640-square-foot facility in Woodville. Construction is now underway and is expected to be completed by the end of 2018. The company expects to create 40 new jobs over the next four years once the project is completed. WEDC is supporting the project by awarding the company up to $350,000 in state income tax credits.
“The result of this expansion will be a world-class molding facility that will solidify iMARK’s position as the leader in supporting Wisconsin’s biohealth industry and will help meet the needs of life science companies nationwide,” Sturtevant explains. “The crown jewel of the expansion will be our 22,500-square-foot pharma-grade clean room that is designed for a future expansion of nearly 18,000 square feet.”
INsource newsletter
January 2018
