JOB BOOST: Plastics maker relocates operation to Columbia

COLUMBIA, 11/13/11 (Beat Byte) -- Columbia's lagging manufacturing sector is getting a boost from Engineered Plastic Components, Inc. (EPC), which is moving a plastic molding business here from Monroe, Michigan.

With 14 plants in the U.S. and Mexico, EPC performs manufacturing, painting, and assembly for the auto, home appliance, and medical industries.

The Grinnell, Iowa-based plastics manufacturer has been on an expansion binge recently, buying five new companies. Last month, EPC purchased a molding operation from JCIM, LLC, formerly a division of auto interior supplier Johnson Controls, Inc. The Monroe operation coming to Columbia is part of that acquisition.