Patrick Merrill Appointed Manufacturing Engineer for New NPI Area

GARDNER, Mass. (Aug. 10, 2021) – Mack Prototype, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mack Molding Co. focused on prototyping and low-volume manufacturing, has announced the addition of New Product Introduction (NPI) services to its portfolio.

Through its NPI platform, Mack Prototype will be offering manufacturing and engineering support in 15,000 square feet of dedicated space off the production floor to help companies bring their ideas to fruition, with another 20,000 square feet available for expansion. In addition to fixturing, assembly and testing, the Company’s new product launch pad area will feature real-time, cloud-based data and work instructions so customers will never be far away from the production floor.

 “With supply chain and design for manufacturing services, as well as molding and machining capabilities, right on site, we are uniquely positioned to give small program productions large program-level engineering support,” said Mack Prototype President Greg Cebular. “Our size gives us the agility necessary to adapt to the changing needs of early-stage manufacturing, while our experience and support from the broader Mack Molding family means customers can move into full program launch when they are ready.”  

The benefits of Mack Prototype’s speed and flexibility include onsite prototyping and machining that allows customers to modify their parts on the fly and nimble document control that allows for quick engineering changes. According to Cebular, this dedicated space is primed for established companies and startups seeking support for low volume builds – a place to build their production plan while working through design changes, the development of work instructions and build plans.

Once a program is ready for full-scale production it can be seamlessly moved into one of Mack Molding’s larger contract manufacturing facilities. A number of benefits aid in this transition, including sourcing parts from the approved vendor list (AVL) used in the NPI build, the fact that work instructions are based in a shared cloud-based system and the fabrication of metal and plastic parts on the same equipment. Additionally, since the program managers, manufacturing engineers and quality engineers are engaged throughout a customer’s NPI experience, production operators can be trained in advance of the transfer.

Leading the efforts will be Mack Prototype’s new Manufacturing Engineer Patrick Merrill. With 10 years of engineering experience, including the medical device industry, Merrill has been involved with new products from inception to commercialization. Merrill most recently served as senior manufacturing engineer for Medical Creations Inc./Xtremity in Denver, Colo., where he also had previously served as a mechanical engineer. Earlier he had built engineering experience with KIC Consultants, and Rock Tools Attachments, both in Denver. Merrill has a master of science in mechanical engineer with a focus in biomechanics from the University of Colorado, Denver, and a bachelor of science in mining and mineral engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blackburg, Va.

“Patrick is a great addition to our team,” Cebular noted. “His broad experience with managing inventories, quality system implementation, design for manufacturing, benchtop testing and developing manufacturing procedures make him uniquely qualified to lead this effort to provide customers with a new pathway to production.”

About Mack Molding
Mack Molding is a leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services. Mack specializes in plastics design, prototyping, molding, sheet metal fabrication, full-service machining and medical device manufacturing. Founded in 1920, Mack is a privately owned business that operates 11 facilities throughout the world. Will Kendall is President and CEO. For more information, go to www.mack.com.

About Mack Prototype
Mack Prototype offers 75,000 square feet of manufacturing space, in an ISO 13485 certified environment specializing in rapid prototyping and low-volume manufacturing with 3D printing, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, cast urethane molding, plastic injection molding, and extensive finishing, painting and assembly operations. For more information, visit www.mackprototype.com.