Momentum Manufacturing Group – Engineered Extrusions completed the second phase of strategic growth at its aluminum extrusion facility in Franklin, NH. The company has invested over $30 million to grow its extrusion operation and improve operational efficiency through increased automation. With the completion of its phase two project, the company has added new automated aging and packing lines, as well as additional manufacturing and logistical support. These capabilities not only enable the company to better serve its customer base, but also allows them to address labor shortages in the manufacturing sector.
Company Profile
The Franklin extrusion facility began as a 115,000 sq ft operation with two presses (a 9 inch Fielding Platt and 7 inch Youngstown) in 1986. The facility passed through various owners before being officially incorporated and renamed Vitex Extrusion in 2001. Since then, the company grew its extrusion operations and added extensive fabrication capabilities to become a successful aluminum solutions provider to a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing, robotic automation, and consumer products, as well as building and construction, trailers, and automotive.
In December 2019, Vitex was sold to Momentum Manufacturing Group (formerly NSA Industries), with the primary aim of continuing the company’s growth trajectory. Under Momentum’s ownership, the extruder joined a group of metal working and contract manufacturing companies with 13 New England locations, enabling the business to provide a variety of metal manufacturing capabilities, including fabrication, precision machining, powder coating, assembly, and now extrusion. In January 2023, Vitex officially changed its name to Momentum Manufacturing Group – Engineered Extrusions. With the backing of Momentum Manufacturing and new moniker of MMG Extrusions, the Franklin facility has been able to further expand its operations to ensure its continued success.
Ongoing Growth and Stability
Over the decades MMG Extrusions has continued to modernize and upgrade its operation with advanced technologies to better serve its customers. In the ten-year period from 2010 to 2020, the company invested more than $18 million in various expansion projects, including the replacement of its 7 inch Youngstown press with a new 8 inch, 2,750 ton Presezzi press and a Granco Clark handling system, as well as state-of-the-art quench, profile stacking, and automated packing systems.
More recently, the company completed a three-year expansion project that exceeded $30 million in investments. Phase one of the project, completed in 2022, included the replacement of its 9 inch Fielding Platt press line with a new 8 inch, 2,920 ton press from Presezzi Extrusion Group.
“The addition of the 8 inch press line in 2022 was pivotal to doubling our production capability for aluminum profiles to 55 million lbs,” noted Andrew Curland, president Momentum Manufacturing Group – Engineered Extrusions. “Demand for custom extruded profiles from new and existing customers surged following the pandemic and the second Presezzi press line allowed us to respond to that demand. More recently, we’re responding to the influx of new business from companies reshoring their extrusion manufacturing and those whose in-house manufacturing or current suppliers are falling behind due to labor issues or aging equipment.”
In addition to the new extrusion press, phase one included the relocation and expansion of its fabrication area through the acquisition of a 50,000 sq ft building. The expanded fabrication area included the installation of two new Modig HHV CNCs installed in 2021 and 2022. More recently, a Trumpf 7000 series tube laser system and a large diameter Pines tube bender were installed in 2025. “Supporting our extrusion capacity expansion, we’ve also continued to expand and upgrade our machining, rack movement, fabrication, and assembly services to support growth among manufacturers who recognize the value and cost savings of working with a partner who can handle more of their production needs,” said Curland.
As of this summer, MMG Extrusions completed phase two of its expansion program, which includes new automated aging and packing lines, as well as expanding its shipping and logistical support footprint. Both phase one and two of the project provide MMG Extrusions with the capabilities to better serve its customers. In addition, with this growth plan, the company made a greater investment in automation, allowing it to run with as few people as possible—which directly addresses the ongoing shortage of skilled labor.
Curland points out that several factors contribute to the labor shortage in the New Hampshire area where MMG Extrusions operates. “Manufacturing is the third largest industry in the state, with some 70,000 workers,” he explained. “However, 35% of our manufacturing workforce is 55 or older, with many of those workers ‘aging out’ of their jobs, so we have a large gap to fill. Interest in manufacturing jobs still lags, which is coupled with our state’s low unemployment rate. Workers have more choices, and that means manufacturing has to compete harder to attract talent. We also have to contend with housing affordability and availability in our area, which adds to the recruitment difficulty.”
Upgrading the extrusion facility with advanced automation systems throughout the plant helps to address this issue. “Material flow in an extrusion operation is typically labor-intensive,” said Curland. “Automating this entire process reduces the need for staff to manually move, lift, or stage materials between production steps. The result is higher throughput without adding staff. Additionally, our continuing plant investments make us a more attractive employer for candidates who want to work with modern equipment, and for current staff who can be trained for higher-value technical roles.”
Improved Automation and Logistics
Automated Aging and Packing System
MMG Extrusions invested $5 million in a new automated aging system and packing line from Belco Industries out of Belding, MI, which enables fully automated extrusion production from billet to packing to truck loading.
Automated conveyers were installed parallel to each press’s stacker system off-feed to transfer racked extrusions to the age oven staging area. The racks are then transferred via an automated overhead crane to designated in-feed conveyors for one of the three new Belco Flo aging ovens. Each of the ovens is equipped with trending data and PLC for full control.
Once the aging process is complete, the oven doors automatically open and outfeed the aged racks for processing into the packaging area, which has four packing stations. Two of the semi-automated stations were previously installed by Presezzi in 2016. The other two are new packing stations supplied by Belco and are equipped with de-stacker systems to load the profiles into bundles for packing. One of the two packing stations operates in fully automated mode for standard profile sections. All four packing stations are supported with automated stretch wrapping and banding.
After the bundles are packaged and stretch wrapped, they can be easily offloaded to the ship dock staging area or directly loaded onto a trailer via overhead cranes. Empty racks are automatically transferred via conveyors back to each of the press’s stacker in-feed, ready to accept newly extruded profiles for aging.
New Logistics Area
Phase two also included a $6 million construction project to add 35,000 sq ft of manufacturing and logistical support space to the existing 115,000 sq ft facility—bringing total extrusion and fabrication plant capacity to 200,000 sq ft. The project involved the expansion of the loading area to six fully covered loading bays and adding overhead cranes (supplied by Mass Crane and Hoist) to move packed extrusions onto flatbed trailers (Figure 1).
“With the reconfiguration, we can move packed extrusions from the packing area more quickly and efficiently,” said Curland. “In addition, the new space included a new breakroom and locker rooms.”
Conclusion
Momentum Manufacturing Group – Engineered Extrusions has continuously invested in its extrusion and fabrication operations to support customer growth since 2012, when the company installed its first new Presezzi press line. The company has continued with this business strategy, first with its phase one extrusion and fabrication capacity expansion project, and now with its phase two project to improve automation, efficiency, and logistics. Further growth projects are on the horizon. MMG Extrusions is considering additional investments in downstream value-added production, such as large format robotic welding and bending.
“With our advanced automation, expanded extrusion capacity, and vertically integrated services—from design for manufacturing and extrusion to machining, finishing, and assembly—we offer manufacturers a single, reliable source for end-to-end production,” said Curland. “This integrated model enables us to respond quickly to fluctuations in customer demand and maintain consistent quality and delivery, making us an ideal partner for companies reshoring aluminum extrusion operations and those requiring a manufacturer proven to adapt to shifting production needs.”
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the December 2025 issue of Light Metal Age. To receive the current issue, please subscribe.