Horizon Plastics International has been producing plastic injection moldings at the Northam Industrial Park in Cobourg for 45 years.
They specialize in two different technologies to produce items for industries ranging from landscaping to recreational vehicles.
Horizon CEO Ken Brownlee says they are a custom manufacturer: customers will come to them with an idea for a product or item and Horizon will design a mold and produce it in plastic using low-pressure molding technology.
“They come to us with a challenge or an opportunity, it may be in another material, it could be in wood, it could be in metal, and we’ll look at the opportunity to produce that in plastic. It usually brings efficiencies to their operation,” says Brownlee.
Horizon had been looking for a “strategic partner” that could help expand its manufacturing process and customer base.
They were purchased by CORE Molding Technologies from Columbus, Ohio. This company is in the same line of work as Horizon but does not use the same technologies.
“This team has proven that they are a proven leader in the technology and we felt it would be much better to partner with a strong company like Horizon to advance this technology,” says Kevin L. Barnett, president and CEO of CORE.
Brownlee says there are around 210 employees at the Cobourg plant. He adds there is the possibility in the future for expansion of the workforce.