A New York blow molding company continues to grow and is creating enough space to accommodate even more expansion in the future.
Cortland Plastics International LLC is completing a 47,500-square-foot addition to its facility and adding a 12th blow molding machine. A 13th is on order and expected to begin operating in November, the company said.
Kay Breed is controller at the Cortland, N.Y.-based company and has been there since the company's founding in 2007 with 10 employees.
“We have grown every year since then. That was in a very difficult economy, but we've seen good growth. We focus on quality and attention to our customers and meeting our customers' needs,” she said.
Cortland points to what it calls a “significant increase in new business from two major nationally known soft drink flavoring companies” as a key reason for its latest expansion.
While Breed said she could not elaborate on details of that business, she did say that the company's focus on quality has led to steady growth over time. “We've very particular about the quality of our products,” she said. “We have several quality checks on the products.”
Cortland's growth has included the steady addition of machinery over time. “We try to do about one a year,” Breed said. “We do plan slow growth.”
The company's success, she said, is thanks to “the success of our customers and adding new customers along the way, new products. We don't really do too many stock items.”
Cortland now has 97,500 square feet under roof with additional space for manufacturing, warehouse and offices, she said.
The company has added 10 new workers, pushing employment to 56, thanks to the expansion. Another four new employees are expected to be hired by the end of the year as the next machine comes on line.
Another key to the company's success has been a dedication to recycling from the very beginning, the controller said.
The company has an automated process to handle scrap and return it back into the manufacturing process. “We have very little scrap. We reuse a lot of the scrap that we produce,” Breed said.
Cortland's different markets include pharmaceuticals, food, pool and spa, lawn and garden, household, supplements, sporting goods and canisters for wipes, the company said.