YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Carney Plastics of Youngstown experienced a significant increase in demand for its diecast model car display cases in 2021.
Sean Carney, owner, says he expects the growth to continue this year but at a slower rate.
The pandemic prompted the growth. As people spent more time at home, they updated and reorganized their living spaces – and Carney Plastics benefited.
“We’re fortunate that our display cases are related to popular at-home categories: home improvement, organizing and collectibles,” Carney says.
The company plans to launch a new e-commerce website this year for its retail display case line.
And Carney is leveraging its relationships with diecast model car customizers and event producers to keep expanding its retail customer base.
Display cases represent approximately 85% of Carney’s business, with the products shipped to customers all over the world.
Sales of clear acrylic virus-protection guards and barriers to stores, restaurants and schools declined in 2021. But demand remained strong for hospitals, Carney says.
As offices and banks transitioned back to more in-person work, sales of custom-made workstation and customer interfacing solutions increased.
“We expect this trend to continue through 2022 and beyond,” Carney says. “It will likely never go away completely as people see the benefit of these products in everyday life in the workplace.”
Carney Plastics has made numerous improvements to its West Rayen Avenue plant in the past few years to improve efficiency and safety.
This year, the company will consider adding CNC overhead routing to its production lines.
“This would require a significant investment,” Carney says. “The return would be a speeding up of two production processes and [we would gain the] ability to offer specialized cutting services in-house.”