Компания Eclipse Mold отметила 50-летие и планирует расширение в сфере медицинского производства

Eclipse Mold in Chesterfield Township, which serves the automotive, industrial, defense and medical markets, celebrated its 50th anniversary last month. The company has grown from a small tool shop into a $50-million manufacturer specializing in precision tooling, plastic injection molding and assembly services, according to company officials. The beginnings took place in the back corner of a warehouse at Paragon Fastener, where founder Fred S. Craprotta Sr. built molds for larger, overloaded tool shops, company officials said. Officials said he earned a reputation for higher-quality work, greater efficiency and better value. The company name refers to “eclipsing” the competition, officials said. Eclipse Mold says it employs 225 people in three Macomb County facilities totaling 148,000-square-feet. Its plastics and assembly divisions are located in two facilites in Chesterfield Township, and its tooling division is located in Clinton Township. The company produces more than 75 million parts annually, operates 54 electric injection molding machines, and manufactures 50 to 100 molds and prototypes each year. Craprotta’s son, Steve, has taken over leadership of the company. “Fifty years doesn’t happen by accident,” said Steve Craprotta, Eclipse Mold president, in a press release. “My father built this company on quality, responsiveness and keeping our word. Those values haven’t changed, even as we’ve grown from a small tool shop into a full-service manufacturing partner serving customers around the world.” Eclipse Mold manufactures a wide range of automotive interior and exterior components, including safety systems, steering wheel components, roof racks, consoles, bezels, decorative trim, engine system components and e-mobility components. Its products are found in vehicles built by nearly every major automaker. The company has also expanded into defense manufacturing, producing polymer casings for small-arms ammunition for the Army, lightweight components for the Army Research Laboratory and drone components. Eclipse Mold is one of about 3,660 companies in the nation with a 16949-certification from the International Automotive Task Force. “Looking ahead, we plan to expand our presence in medical and pursue new opportunities in electrical infrastructure, while continuing to invest in advanced manufacturing technologies and our Michigan operations,” Craprotta said. “None of this would be possible without the dedication of our leadership team and employees, whose talent, commitment and work ethic have shaped Eclipse Mold over the past 50 years.”