Encore Plastics has snagged a big plastic paint tray order with Walmart that will replace the retailing giant's previous, undisclosed supplier that was sourcing from China.
Encore, based in Sandusky, Ohio, will injection mold more than a million polypropylene paint trays for Walmart, confirmed Encore director of business development Craig Rathbun in a July 21 phone interview.
Rathbun said Encore's ability to respond to customer demands in a timely manner was important in landing the business.
“We can provide adjustments very quickly,” Rathbun explained.
Walmart's desire to source U.S.-made products where feasible also counted in Encore's favor, Rathbun added.
Encore will mold the PP trays in its Cambridge, Ohio, and Forsyth, Ga., facilities. Rathbun declined to put a dollar value on the deal or provide other terms for competitive reasons but he said the company will convert about 30 part-time jobs to permanent ones to cover the large order. The trays weigh in at 635 pounds per thousand units.
“This is new business for our company,” Rathbun said. Walmart has been a customer for other Encore products since 2004.
“We've had great success with our paint sundries line,” Rathbun said. The firm injection molds and thermoforms containers, paint trays, mixing containers and industrial pails for various industries. Its EcoSmart product line and industrial pails incorporates regrind plastic. The company builds on its environmental profile with initiatives like solar- and wind-generated electricity.
Encore was bought last year by One51 plc, an Irish injection molder with substantial interests in recycling and renewable energy generation. A year earlier One51 bought IPL Inc., a St. Damien, Quebec, injection molder that makes several products used in North American recycling programs. Rathbun said Encore's name is well recognized in the marketplace even after the ownership shifts.
“We plan to continue using the Encore name,” Rathbun said.
Encore had been owned by the Rathbun family prior to the November 2016 purchase by One51.