Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • CEO Issue
    • Diversity
    • Best Places to Work
      • 2022 winners
    • Processor of the Year
    • Rising Stars
    • Women Breaking the Mold
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • BRICS and Plastics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Reuters Responsible Business Europe 2022
    • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Resin Prices
    • All Resins
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
November 25, 2013 01:00 AM

Molder expands in medical, but could divest non-medical unit

Roger Renstrom
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    MedPlast Inc. is continuing to invest in its medical business, while contemplating the disposition of certain non-medical plastics processing operations.

    The Tempe, Ariz.-based contract manufacturer, while not actively soliciting buyers, is open to the possible sale of three former United Plastics Group Inc. operations in Houston; Cardiff, Wales; and Suzhou, China.

    “We operate those as a standalone business and retain the brand,” MedPlast CEO Harold Faig said in a telephone interview. “They are profitable and have good technologies,” employ about 200 of MedPlast's total staff of 1,700, but do not fit the MedPlast focus on healthcare.

    MedPlast was formed in April 2008 and acquired UPG in April 2012. More recently, the company added to its medical capabilities through the acquisition of implantable-specialist Orthoplastics Ltd. on Oct. 14.

    Now MedPlast is adding technical molding capability at Orthoplastics' location in Bacup, England, and working toward constructing a second facility for development work and the manufacturing of implantable devices. For now, Orthoplastics' manufacturing operations occupy 118,000 square feet.

    About 25 percent of MedPlast investments annually are aimed at U.S. Food and Drug Administration criteria to build the company's medical business. For example, clean room installation is about $125-$150 per square foot, and Faig noted that MedPlast spends about $500,000 per year on clean room capabilities for specific applications, plus another $500,000 to support those requirements.

    The total effort includes standardizing metrology equipment, risk mitigation and inspection equipment; software; and integration of systems and training.

    “If we are going to have a device with FDA registration, we must have the whole plant compliant,” Faig said. “We have invested heavily in a smart and deliberate process.”

    In August, MedPlast completed adding 10,000 square feet for warehousing in Tijuana, Mexico. Now the facility occupies 72,000 square feet, operates 31 presses and increasingly gains volume for final assembly and sterilization of finished goods.

    Other 2013 additions involved MedPlast facilities in Fremont, Calif., and Chicopee, Mass.

    “We can't afford to build and hope they will come,” Faig said. “When we build, we build with a little bit of excess.”

    In addition to Tempe, Bacup, Tijuana, Fremont and Chicopee, other MedPlast sites include West Berlin, N.J.; Westfield, Pa.; Elkhorn, Wis.; Monticello, Iowa; and, apart from UPG Suzhou, another location in Suzhou.

    David Brooks, managing director of Orthoplastics, was assigned additional duties as president of MedPlast International for all operations in Europe and China.

    For the MedPlast and Orthoplastics sites, the goal is to move into higher valued-added and more stringent quality-compliant healthcare products, Faig said. Examples include implantables such as vaginal pessaries, ocular plugs, orthopedic implants and hydrocephalus shunts.

    Tim Joyner, corporate compliance officer, underscored how MedPlast wants its quality efforts “to be an extension of our customers' quality and manufacturing systems. When they have regulatory issues, we support them.” Joyner joined MedPlast in June 2009.

    Joyner's staff includes individuals with experience in FDA regulatory issues and biological systems engineering.

    Joyner's team trains MedPlast facility general managers and others to understand and “know the industry we are serving.”

    As needed, outside experts provide training on specialized equipment.

    “From our perspective, the Orthoplastics acquisition is a glove fit to our overall strategy in filling out the company,” Faig said. “We are creating a MedPlast where the top and bottom look the same from a compliance standpoint. Any [customer] coming in at bottom rung has the same assurance the systems, technology and equipment they are getting is the very best of a system. Tim has been driving that.”

    Currently for all MedPlast, Orthoplastics and UPG locations, the company operates about 450 plastics processing machines and occupies more than 1 million square feet for manufacturing functions.

    “In general, we are one of largest, if not the largest, healthcare manufacturers in North America and maybe even in Europe,” Faig said.

    Robert W. Baird & Co.'s Chicago-based Baird Capital unit owns a majority of MedPlast, and management has a minority position. JZ Capital Partners Ltd. of London and River Cities Capital Funds of Cincinnati were co-investors in the Orthoplastics deal.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    SK Capital buys additives maker Valtris Specialty
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    20/20 adds Southern exposure with Vantage acquisition
    2
    Sustainable Plastics Live - June 2022
    3
    Mitsubishi Chemical closes Michigan compounding plant
    4
    Shell nearing completion of Pennsylvania PE facility
    5
    Berry pledges to further cut greenhouse gas emissions
    SIGN UP FOR TO RECEIVE THESE EMAILS AND ENEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Urethanes Technology
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Tire Business
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • CEO Issue
        • Diversity
        • Best Places to Work
          • 2022 winners
        • Processor of the Year
        • Rising Stars
        • Women Breaking the Mold
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • BRICS and Plastics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • Reuters Responsible Business Europe 2022
        • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Resin Prices
      • All Resins
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified