Apr. 6--A Hartford manufacturer plans to develop a 50,000-square-foot plant at the Dodge Industrial Park, the company's vice president said Wednesday.
Mantz Automation Inc. now operates a 20,000-square-foot facility at 1023 W. State St., Hartford, and recently bought 9 acres at the industrial park, Robert Mantz said. The company, which has about 60 employees in Hartford, may add about 10 employees once it moves to the new building.
"We're packed in here pretty tight right now," he said.
Construction on the new plant, which amounts to a $3 million investment, is scheduled to begin May, with completion expected October, Mantz said.
Mantz Automation builds plastic injection molds for appliance-makers and other manufacturers throughout the Midwest. It has around 80 employees, including 12 employees in Fond du Lac and eight employees in West Liberty, Iowa, Mantz said.
As the rest of Wisconsin's manufacturing base shrinks, Mantz Automation has been able to expand because of its emphasis on service, Mantz said. opening additional shops in Fond du Lac and Iowa, Mantz Automation can more quickly provide repair services to its customers, he said.
Mantz and his wife, Denise, Mantz Automation's president, started the business in 1989, renting space in the back of a friend's shop. The company later leased space in the Hartford Innovation Center, a business incubator, for more than two years and moved to its present building in 1992.
Mantz Automation is among several thriving manufacturers in fast-growing Hartford. Others include Signicast Corp., Helgesen Industries Inc., API Software Inc. and Quad/Graphics Inc.
[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The (KRT) -- 04/07/06]
