Micro Star To Add 30 Jobs, Nearly Double Space In Largo

Micro Star Innovations, a manufacturing company in Largo that uses injection molds to make metal and plastic devices for the medical, automotive and telecommunications industries, is adding 30 new jobs this year.

The new jobs will mainly be in engineering, product development and process engineering, says Phil Johnson, general manager at Micro Star. Pinellas County economic development officials are also pleased because the new jobs will also pay 150% of the county's average annual wage.

The company is also planning to nearly double its manufacturing space to more than 30,000 square feet when it moves to another nearby facility in Largo this year so it can add more molding machines.

Micro Star is growing based on demand for the products it makes, which include electrical connections for the auto industry and surgical instruments. But the company hopes to see even stronger growth in the future.

"I wouldn't say we are thriving, but we are holding our own," Johnson says.  "I've been told by some bankers if you are breaking even, you're a growing company. We're profitable."

It is also more than a manufacturer. Micro Star does reseach and development, designs devices for customers, has automated in-line inspection and uses robots in a clean-room assembly process to wrap products in custom packaging. That makes it a one-stop shop for molding customers, Johnson says. It has even taken sketches from customers on napkins and delivered a final product.

Micro Star is a private firm that is a division of the Micro Stamping Group of companies, founded in New Jersey in 1945. Micro Stamping and its subsidiaries, which include a medical tubing company, employ 285 people.

The parent company has been trying to branch more into medical device manufacturing, which is in part fueling its growth and the growth of its subsidiaries, Johnson says. Micro Star in Largo does about 60 percent of its business for the medical device industry.

Writer: Dave Szymanski
Source: Phil Johnson, Micro Star Innovations