Poly Vac Inc. of Manchester, N.H., has signed an agreement to buy 20-plus acres on which it plans to build a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Chief Executive Michael Connors said the company plans to complete the plant, which also will house a research and development facility, within one year. Costs were undisclosed.
Poly Vac specializes in vacuum forming a line of surgical trays, private labeled for Fortune 500 companies worldwide, using high-temperature polymers.
John Brooks founded Poly Vac in 1985 while working in private practice as an orthotist, performing external fixation and casting broken bones at several hospitals in the Massachusetts/New Hampshire area. He established the company during this time to manufacture a line of plastic orthopedic braces.
At the same time, he began experimenting with high-temperature plastics that would withstand sterilization required to produce operating room trays. This would help better organize surgical instruments for various procedures, something he saw as a necessity while working in the hospitals. Unlike stainless steel containers, the polymer trays do not dull or scratch the sensitive surgical instruments placed in them.
In 1985, Brooks achieved commercial success with his surgical sterilization trays. In 1989, he incorporated Poly Vac, sold his orthotics practice and dedicated himself to building the surgical sterilization tray business.
During its 10 years in business, Poly Vac expanded into the manufacture of other products requiring high-temperature polymers, such as blood filtration devices.
Last year, volumes on some of Poly Vac's products were becoming such that the firm began using injection molding. To keep control over manufacturing, Poly Vac bought five Nissei injection molding presses with clamping forces of 55-500 tons.
The firm is offering custom molding for OEMs requiring expertise in high-temperature polymers such as polyetheretherketone and polysulfone.
Poly Vac employs about 100 and offers secondary services such as in-house mold making, computer numerically controlled machining, ultrasonic welding and silk screening. The facility is certified with the federal Food and Drug Administration.
