By Michael Lauzon
CORRESPONDENT
Published: July 9, 2014 11:46 am ET
Updated: July 9, 2014 11:50 am ET
Image By: Concept Plastics Ltd.
Concept Plastics Ltd. makes trays and pots for gardening as well as parts for consumer goods company Koolatron.
Custom injection molder Concept Plastics Ltd. is relocating to accommodate growth.
The firm is moving from Mississauga, Ontario, to Brantford, Ontario, and expects to complete the move in August.
“We are running out of space,” said Concept President Arun Kulkarni is a phone interview. The firm has been running flat out and will soon occupy 55,000 square feet in Brantford. Its current Mississauga facility is 40,000 square feet.
Concept runs 20 presses with clamp forces of 68 to 950 tons. It molds a range of trays and parts for horticultural and agricultural markets and supplies plastic parts to Koolatron of Brantford, a major producer of 12-Volt coolers and other types of coolers, rain barrels, wine cellar components, car mats and other consumer goods. Kulkarni said Concept will install two more presses after the move is completed.
Concept is moving into a Brantford facility on Catherine Avenue that has housed both Koolatron and thermoformer Vacform Plastics. Koolatron is vacating its portion of the Catherine Avenue building and moving to a larger space on Copernicus Boulevard in Brantford because Koolatron too is growing. Concept will take over Koolatron’s Catherine space while Vacform will stay where it is, Kulkarni explained.
Koolatron’s sales have been rising as the company’s products sell well through big box retailers, online and through infomercials, according to Kulkarni. It will open a warehouse outlet store at its new location.
Vacform runs three sheet extrusion lines to make its own polypropylene, polystyrene and RPET sheet to feed six thermoforming lines. Its product line includes flower pots, horticultural trays, wallpaper, blister packaging, industrial parts and custom sheet.
Concept will employ more than 40 in Brantford. It and Koolatron and Vacform employ a total of 195 in aggregate facility space of 137,000 square feet. Kulkarni declined to provide sales figures for the three private companies. Concept was established in 1976. | 
