Founded in 1920, Mack Molding is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the privately-held Mack Group corporation, which also includes Mack Technologies, Mack Prototype & Synectic Product Development.
With deep roots in custom injection molding, Mack Molding today is a leading supplier of contract manufacturing services and injection molded plastic parts to companies in a range of industries. Mack Molding operates nine locations throughout the eastern United States with its headquarters in Arlington, Vermont, and is consistently ranked among the top 10 non-automotive injection molders in North America.
The Company provides a wide range of services to both small- and mid-size companies as well as blue chip Fortune 100 giants. For details on Mack’s capabilities, please visit the Services section of our site. To learn more about what markets we serve and our specific capabilities and experience in those markets, please visit the Markets section.
Mack Group
A privately-held corporation, Mack was founded in 1920 in Little Falls, New Jersey. Today it is headquartered in Arlington, Vermont, and operates 12 locations throughout Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Mexico, with a total of 1.5 million square feet of manufacturing space.
Mack has earned a 5A1 D&B rating, the highest available. The corporation has no long-term debt and finances its own acquisitions and growth. Mack has sales of approximately $655 million and employs more than 3,000 people.
Profile of Mack Group
The four divisions within Mack Group include:
Mack Molding – A leading supplier of molded plastic parts, fabricated metal parts and high-level assemblies to the medical, industrial, transportation, energy/environment, computer & business equipment, and consumer markets. Specialties include design, prototyping, custom injection molding, sheet metal fabrication, full-service machining, total product assembly, test and distribution. It has nine locations: Arlington, Vermont (2); Cavendish, Vermont; Pownal, Vermont; Shaftsbury, Vermont; Inman, South Carolina; Statesville, North Carolina; Gardner, Massachusetts; and Woodbridge, Connecticut.
Mack Prototype – Full-service plastics prototyping with specialties in rapid prototyping, rapid tooling and low volume plastics molding. Located in Gardner, Massachusetts.
Synectic Engineering – Engineering services company with specialties in custom mechanical, biomedical engineering and industrial design, electrical engineering, quality and regulatory support, rapid prototyping and “Voice of Customer” research. Located in Woodbridge, Connecticut.
Mack Technologies – Provides turnkey system assembly services for high-end electronic products. Specialties include design support, materials management, printed circuit board and final system assembly, product test and order fulfillment. Three locations: Westford, Massachusetts; Melbourne, Florida; Juarez, Mexico.
History
The history of Mack starts in the early days of plastics back in Thomas Edison’s labs. In the early 1900s, Donald S. Kendall was working as a chemist for the Thomas Edison Cos. in New Jersey. While trying to find a good replacement for the wax used in phonograph records he led experiments with recently invented thermoset resins know as urea and Bakelite, the first plastic made from synthetic components.
Intrigued by the commercial potential for these new materials, in 1920, Kendall joined forces with Kenneth W. Macksey to co-found Mack Molding Co. in Little Falls, New Jersey, with three rebuilt injection presses. It was there that Mack made the world’s first ever plastic part used in a commercial product for the Otis Elevator Company. In 1929, Mack expanded by buying a DuPont plant in Wayne, New Jersey, and then a decade later moved to a larger plant in Arlington, Vermont. True to Kendall’s original vision, Mack mostly made bottle caps until World War II. To serve the war effort, Mack switched much of its production to mortar-shell casings and related products.
After the war, the company began molding automotive and refrigerator components for General Motors Corp and its Frigidaire subsidiary. One of its first products for GM was the Indian head logo that adorned the front of all Pontiacs. Mack molded the formerly metal figure from yellow acrylic.
In 1960, the Kendalls bought out their partners and diversified into consumer products such as Timex watch boxes and Schick razor handles.
In 1974, management of the company passed on to Donald S. Kendall III, the founder’s grandson and current Mack CEO. Annual sales totaled about $4 million.
Then IBM asked Mack to make a plastic computer monitor housing. That launched the company into the computer & business equipment industry, which is still one of its primary markets, along with medical, industrial, transportation, energy/environment, consumer, commercial agriculture, clean air technologies, robotics and defense/aerospace.
Today, Mack Molding operates nine facilities in the United States with 125 injection molding presses ranging in size from 28 to 4,000 tons. Mack, however, is much more than a molder today, and provides full-service contract manufacturing that also includes sheet metal fabrication, full-service machining, PCBAs and total product assembly up to and including Class Ill PMA medical and electromechanical devices. This includes systems integration and final functional test through warehousing, order fulfillment and refurbishment services.
Mission
Mack’s mission is Total Customer Satisfaction. While simply stated, it has become the kingpin around which all major decisions are based. Branching out into rapid prototyping and tooling was based on customer input and the need to reduce time-to-market. Expanding the headquarters plant to augment Mack’s contract manufacturing capabilities was in direct response to the needs of the marketplace.
But beyond responding to customers’ needs to further grow the business, Mack also formally measures customer satisfaction on a quarterly basis around four criteria:
- Return rate
- Number of on-time deliveries
- How the customer ranks Mack as a supplier in relation to its competitors
- General feedback from customers
Results are posted in all plants and compensation is directly linked to customer satisfaction and profitability.
Key Values
As part of its mission, Mack employees embrace the following key values, which serve as the foundation for continued improvement, growth and success of the company:
Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is everyone’s primary job at Mack. Each of us will strive to satisfy the needs of not only our external customers but each of our internal customers as well.
Fairness
As members of the Mack team, we will treat each other with honesty and respect at all times. Favoritism, discrimination, and special privileges have no place at Mack.
Ethics
We will comply with all laws and government regulations at all times. We will conduct business in an ethical manner.
Work Environment
We will encourage the exchange of new ideas by creating a cooperative, team-oriented working environment. We will maintain a physical working environment which is clean and safe at all times.
Corporate Citizenship
We will be a good and active corporate citizen in the communities in which we operate.
Integrity
We will deal honestly and openly with our customers, our co-workers, our suppliers and the public.
Financial Stability
We will maintain a strong financial position by re-investing our profits in new equipment, new technology and new training while avoiding long-term debt.