Rotational molder Dutchland adding employees, raising pay

To keep up with growing business, Dutchland Plastics Corp. wants to hire 50 employees at its headquarters plant in Oostburg, Wis. — and the rotational molder is raising starting pay and hourly wages.

The company has more than doubled its sales in the past three years, and CEO Clyde Swoger said it is poised to continue growing under new ownership.

Oostburg is north of Milwaukee, near Sheboygan, Wis.

Swoger said Dutchland, like other manufacturers, faces a challenge finding good employees. Rotational molding can be hard, physical work.

"We have a great group of employees, some of which have been at Dutchland for 20, 30, 40 even 45 years," he said. "That's the backbone of our company and as we grow, we want to attract additional great employees."

In addition to higher pay, Dutchland officials are increasing the number of paid holidays, and conducting a full review of all benefit plans.

"We want to make sure that our compensation program is competitive and that we're offering a ​ work environment that's unique, and is a place that people want to come to work and want to stay working," Swoger said.

Rotomolding requires a level of craftsmanship, since the operators have more direct-labor input in the process than in most other parts of the plastics industry, he said.

"It requires a certain caliber of person and it requires a level of training, so we want to make sure that we attract the best. That'll be the key to our success," Swoger said.

The new hires at the Oostburg factory will bring employment there to about 275. The company runs a small plant in Sherill, N.Y. The 50 employees will be hired over the remainder of 2017, he said.

Dutchland officials say the company has more than doubled its sales over the last three years, and is poised to double again in the next three years.

According to Plastics News' latest ranking of rotomolders, Dutchland has $35 million in rotomolding-related sales, and total sales of $39 million. The figures are from fiscal year 2015.

In January of this year, A&M Capital Advisers LLC a private equity firm in Greenwich, Conn., bought Dutchland Plastics from private equity firms Isleworth Capital Partners, Omni Investors Group and Squire Ridge Co. Those three investment firms had become the majority owners of Dutchland on Dec. 31, 2013, buying the stake from brothers Carl and Daven Claerbout.

Swoger said previous shareholders, including himself, still have an ownership position.

Dutchland is under A&M Capital Advisers' A&M Capital Opportunities fund, which targets equity investments of $15 million to $45 million, and can invest more if needed. The fund looks for companies with enterprise values of $25 million to $150 million.

Swoger said A&M's resources will help Dutchland keep growing. "I think with their help we are poised for a very bright future," he said.

Daven Claerbout remains with Dutchland, as director of business development, Swoger said.