Female-Led Injection Molder Certified by Women’s Business Enterprise Council

Back in June of 2013, our colleague, executive editor Matt Naitove, had the pleasure of reporting on his visit to one of the few female-owned plastics molding companies. Run by two female partners, Extreme Molding, LLC specializes in ovemolded combinations of materials in applications for female-oriented and pediatrics healthcare. Check out more on the company and this Naitove interview.

Perhaps we are poised to see more of such companies spring up in the future. It was heartening to see this recent announcement from Imlay City Molded Products, Inc., (ICMP) Imlay City, Mich., a manufacturer and supplier of injection molded parts for a wide range of industries, when it announced that it has earned national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council (GLWBC), a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

Coleen Felstow, president and general manager of ICMP, has been a shareholder since the company’s founding in 2000. She became majority shareholder in August 2016 and immediately began the WBE certification process to expand opportunities for the company.

“As a company that views quality and customer satisfaction as the cornerstone of our business, we are proud to be recognized by the WBENC as a Women’s Business Enterprise…We recognize the commitment to supplier diversity that is embraced by corporations and government agencies today. With the certification, ICMP can help add to the diversity represented in the supply chain.”

ICMP offers a wide range of injection molded plastic parts and services for the automotive, RV, defense, dunnage and consumer product industries. Offering both low- and high-volume production, the company can provide prototype molding and full-run parts production via its 11 injection molding machines with press sizes ranging from 75 to 1000 tons. The company is ISO 9001:2008 certified and fully versed in the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP). Running three shifts, five days a week, ICMP provides fast and efficient delivery, plus around the clock shipping and receiving, to meet its customers’ needs.

ICMP’s top customers include Dometic, Stanley Black & Decker/Emhart, and several automakers and their suppliers. The company has produced everything from large hood vent covers and fan blades for RVs, to foot rests and core headlight beam housings for Honda, as well as various parts for Ford, Chrysler and GM.

WBENC’S national standard of certification implemented by the GLWBC is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51 percent owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women. By including women-owned businesses among their suppliers, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier diversity programs.