For Team 1 Plastics, 'It's all about having a great team'

Team 1 Plastics Inc. is batting a thousand. The automotive injection molder is 3 for 3, earning a position on Plastics News' Best Places to Work roster each year since 2014. This year the firm comes in at No. 15.

It is celebrating that achievement and gave employees keychains made of leather — leather being the traditional gift for third anniversaries.

“In a competitive market, it's all about having a great team, and this [award] validates that,” President Craig Carrel said Feb. 17 by phone.

Another milestone came recently when the company celebrated reaching 5,500 days — 15 years — without a lost-time safety accident.

The Albion, Mich.-based processor is working on a 3,500-square-foot expansion of its fully automated, 24/7 plant. The addition will bring total space there to 48,500 square feet. Carrel said Team 1 added three presses recently and the building will be able to accommodate four or five more.

The 28-year-old company is 100 percent automotive and plans to remain so. Market forecasts are strong for at least the next couple of years, he said.

“We've looked at diversification, but we feel pretty comfortable,” Carrel said, adding that the company serves Tier 1 customers and OEMs. No one company is more than 25 percent of its business.

“The business is so automated, we need customers with a certain volume” and automotive supplies that.

Team 1 employs more than 70 people and works to create a culture of respect and professionalism. “That's where it starts,” he said, “it” being a strong and satisfied staff.

“It's not just about giving stuff to people. It's easy to say you value people. … Our safety record demonstrates that.”

The company provides training that allows workers to earn promotions. They train on their off-shifts to learn machine setup, quality control or maintenance. Once they are certified, they are moved up as positions become available.

Team 1's bonus program is paid quarterly based on how many hours an employee works, and how much operating profit exceeds a specific level. Part of the bonus pool is divided equally among 401(k) members who contribute at least 3 percent of their salary.

Monthly open-book meetings are held to share financials with everyone, and a third-quarter meeting lays out the firm's state of business and strategic planning.

And, while “it's not just about giving stuff to people,” the company does do that, too. In the past year the company held a winter party at a bowling alley and a summer zoo picnic for all the workers and their families.

When the company reaches a safety day milestone, everyone gets a personalized gift: Last year's was a Team 1 jacket and dinner.

There are birthday celebrations that include cards and cash, free tickets to performances and sporting events, free popcorn and popsicles.

And someone in the upper ranks at Team 1 likes dogs. There's a program that allows workers to bring a dog to work. And one of the company's contributions to the community is its support of Albion's “Reading with Dogs” program.

It also supports performing arts, school programs and field trips, and a community program to support troubled youth.

Find out more about the process of naming the Best Places to Work and find links to other profiles.