Tariffs and Sourcing Risk: Why USA-Made Custom Molding Belongs on Your Shortlist
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When tariffs shift or trade conditions tighten, sourcing can become a challenge. Costs can change outside your control, causing timelines to move and forcing teams to re-evaluate suppliers, revalidate parts, or rework plans that were stable just a quarter ago. For OEMs, product engineers, sourcing, and operations leaders, that uncertainty forces one core question: How can we keep manufacturing and support closer to the program?
A common response is to evaluate U.S.-based manufacturing for the components that matter most. Titus supports that approach through Titus Precision in Indiana. Established in January 2022, Titus Precision offers custom molding, die casting, and several value-added processes. The Titus Precision facility in Columbia City produces custom molding parts, functional cabinet connectors for ready-to-assemble furniture, kitchens, and closets, while also manufacturing motion control assemblies for the construction and white goods industries.
A USA Manufacturing Footprint Through Titus Precision
Titus is dedicated to manufacturing and delivering functional components worldwide while meeting local demand with precision and care. A key part of that strategy is USA manufacturing through Titus Precision. At a practical level, this gives teams a U.S.-based option for components and assemblies that are frequently tied to program schedules and production planning.
Titus positions its Indiana operation around:
- USA-made products: Connectors, custom molding parts, cabinet leg levellers, and motion control assemblies produced at the Indiana facility
- Local engineering support: On-site experts in Columbia City, tailoring solutions to needs
- Supply chain optimization: Streamlined manufacturing intended to bolster operations
For organizations managing tariff uncertainty, these are the operational levers that stay relevant regardless of what changes in the broader market: where parts are made, how support is accessed, and how production is organized.
Custom Molding Capabilities Based in Columbia City, Indiana
Titus Precision in Columbia City, IN, brings more than 60 years of manufacturing experience and a long history supplying the automotive, defense, and healthcare sectors. For teams evaluating domestic options, this matters because it anchors capability in a mature manufacturing environment.
Titus Precision offers the following plastics capabilities right here in the USA:
- Sonic welding
- Pad printing
- Assembly
- Insert molding
Machine capability spans multiple press sizes, including:
- Up to 150 ton: 6 machines
- 151 to 200 ton: 6 machines
- 301 to 450 ton: 6 machines
- 60 ton: 2 (NEW) electric machines
- 110 ton: 1 (NEW) electric machine
Process Control, Automation, and Built-In Engineering Contact Points
When sourcing conditions are volatile, teams often prioritize two things: clarity of process and clarity of communication. Titus Precision highlights both through its emphasis on automation and poka-yoke, along with structured project management and a defined engineering contact model.
Key features of Titus Precision include:
- Automation, poka-yoke, and 30+ years of experience in precision manufacturing
- Project management expertise
- Application Development Sales Engineers as key contact points
- Strategic centralized location with a loyal workforce
- In-house injection molding, zinc die casting, and automated assembly
- Strength as a member of Titus Global Business Group
- The six-phase disciplined approach (see below)
- Technical support to customers from initial concept through life cycle of production
In-House Zinc Die Casting for Small Zinc Parts
In addition to plastics, Titus Precision supports zinc die casting. Titus Group builds its die-cast machinery, designed for manufacturing small zinc parts.
Titus Precision’s LamaCaster P65 proprietary MultiSlide die casting machines are ideal for small zinc parts due to their speed, repeatability, and tight tolerances.
Equipment Details
- Die size: 65 x 65 mm (approx. 2.56 x 2.56 in.)
- Clamping force: 3.2 tonnes
- Shot weight: 60 grams (2.11 ounces)
- Dry cycle speed: 100 cycles per minute
- Casting speed: 55 cycles per minute
- Installed base: 8 new P65 MultiSlide high-speed zinc die cast machines
Titus Precision also provides support around die casting, including:
- Tooling: Designers, simulation software, tooling maintenance, and a network of fully equipped tool shops
- Finishing: Degating, polishing, Rosler finishing system, Giant finishing system, and a network of local finishing/plating suppliers
- Inspection: CMM
For teams comparing sourcing paths, in-house metal capability alongside molding and assembly can reduce the number of handoffs required across separate suppliers.
The Titus Six-Phase Disciplined Approach: From Quote to Ongoing Production
Titus Precision operates with a six-phase disciplined approach, providing a transparent view of how programs are managed and validated.
The six phases include:
- Quotation: Identify methods, machinery, manpower, and materials
- Project and Quality Planning: Including process development and validation
- Project Management and Development: Including design reviews, capacity planning, packaging, quality documentation, project status tracking
- Process Development and Validation: Trial runs, testing, capability studies, dimensional layouts, and PPAP
- Process Acceptance: “Run at Rate”, “Lessons Learned Review”
- Program Maintenance: Quality reviews, continuous improvement, VAVE
Conclusion: A U.S.-Based Option Worth Evaluating
Tariff conditions can change, but the need for dependable manufacturing options does not. If your program includes molded components, small zinc parts, or assemblies that require coordinated manufacturing steps, Titus Precision offers a U.S.-based operation in Columbia City, Indiana, supported by custom molding, zinc die casting, automated assembly, and a local engineering team.
Contact our team in Indiana today!
260-244-6114
Titus Precision | 900 W Connexion Way, Columbia City, IN 46725