Louisville, KY – September 2026 – Long-time Louisville injection molding company HB Molding, Inc. has been acquired by Slovenian plastics and rubber specialist Siliko d.o.o.
HB Molding represents Siliko’s first move into U.S. based manufacturing, and gives the automotive-focused firm 37 injection molding machines and around 80,000 square feet of manufacturing space. Siliko is already pursuing plans to add 30,000 square feet of additional space to better serve its automotive customers operating in the U.S.
Siliko is retaining all HB Molding employees and will continue servicing HB’s customers in Louisville and throughout the region. Engineer and former HB Molding owner Mark Hallam, who acquired the company in 1998, will remain with the business for a transition period. HB Molding will also retain its name and existing management team.
Siliko is a 2nd generation family-owned business that was started by toolmaker Janez Koprivec, Sr. in Slovenia in 1984. The company has grown substantially since then. Siliko expects about $185 million in sales in 2026 and employs more than 900 people. Before the HB acquisition, Siliko operated four manufacturing locations in Europe — two in Slovenia and one each in Germany and Serbia — with more than 190 injection and compression molding machines processing elastomers and thermoplastics.
Janez Koprivec, Jr., will serve as HB Molding’s new CEO. “This is Siliko’s first manufacturing operation in the United States and an important step in our long-term North American strategy,” he said. “Most of our major customers have manufacturing operations in North America, and establishing a U.S. presence allows us to support them locally, shorten supply chains and combine HB Molding’s local manufacturing capabilities with the broader engineering and technical resources of Siliko.”
HB itself had been growing before the acquisition. Its current 37-machine operation is up from 31 presses listed in an older company profile, while its manufacturing space had grown from 59,000 square feet to more than 80,000 square feet before Siliko’s latest expansion. The Louisville plant also provides tool building and secondary operations including assembly, ultrasonic welding, hot stamping and pad printing. HB is ISO 9001:2015 certified and has in-house 3D scanning capabilities.
For now, Koprivec said Siliko’s focus will be on investing in the operation it just acquired and using the combination to bring more business to Louisville. “We see significant potential to grow the Louisville operation,” he said. Future investments are expected to include more injection molding capacity, tooling and automation. But Koprivec made clear that the company’s U.S. plans aren’t limited to what it already owns in Louisville. Siliko’s goal, he said, is to build “a meaningful long-term manufacturing and engineering presence in North America.”
Plastics-focused investment banking firm MBS Advisors of Florence, MA represented HB Molding in the transaction.
Excerpts above were taken from a recent Plastics News article on the transaction.