Polymer Conversions focuses on being good

Growth for the sake of growth isn't the plan for Benjamin Harp and Polymer Conversions Inc. This medical molder near Buffalo, N.Y., concentrates, instead, on its current customer base and the opportunities that lie within.

"It's not how big we can be; it's how good we can be. We focus on that. On-time delivery, lowering rejects," said Harp, the chief operating officer of the company with estimated annual sales of $20 million. "Through that, we've been fortunate to grow year over year and receive more business from our clients. We hope to add one to three new clients in 2018 and then hope to grow our business with our current clients. That's been a good recipe for us over the years."

Polymer Conversions' capabilities are expanding for a company that has trademarked the phrase "Critical to life" to describe the manufacturing it does. This month, the company added two injection molding machines, including a 150-ton one last week, to bring the total to 28. This expansion will allow Polymer Conversions to target safety products in automotive air bag technology or airplane oxygen filtration systems along with its primary focus on the medical market.

In addition, the company launched a sister company in late 2015 focused on liquid silicone rubber manufacturing.

"We have about 40 customers at Polymer Conversion," Harp said. "Most of them make other devices that have silicone. Over the years, we've heard appreciation from our customers on the service we provide them. Some said, 'Geez, if you ever get involved in silicone, we'd enjoy the opportunity to work with you.'"

LSR Silikon Technologies, with its headquarters three miles away in Hamburg, N.Y., has its first two clients, both of whom are clients of Polymer Conversions, he said.

Harp casts a wary eye toward acquisitions as an avenue to growth.

"We've looked at acquisition opportunities. And we will continue to do that because we are interested in growth for our ​ employees. We've made the determination it would be easier to invest in our current footprint to grow the way we want to grow rather than take on a culture or equipment," he said.

Harp got his start in plastics at General Polymers after graduating from Cansius College near Buffalo. Polymer Conversions was actually one of his first customers, which gave him the opportunity to meet the Bertsch family who own the company.

"I thought Jack [Bertsch] had created a company that was different than any other molder than I had seen. I learned a lot from that exposure," said, Harp, 46, who joined Polymer Conversions in December 2003 in sales/business development. He rose to COO after just a year on the job.

Last week, Polymer Conversions only had one job opening — a mold maker — in its workforce of 100. But Harp says one shouldn't be fooled into thinking that looking for skilled workforce is a solved problem for his team.

"Every molder and everyone with a tool shop is in a skilled workforce crunch. We're in the same boat. In fact, we've developed an apprentice program. We are one of nine tool and die apprenticeships in the state of New York. It's a problem for us and everyone."

Harp said being 60 miles from Penn State University's Behrend campus in Erie, Pa., is helpful. "It's been a gift to send our people to train and to attract the very best talent to our business."

It's that people-centric philosophy around which Harp and Polymer Conversions revolve.

"That's one of the things that keeps me up at night. First and foremost, it's people. People drive the business — our customers, our employees. Finding good people and equipping them with the right technology and staying on top of that. Keeping the best plastics professionals is a big focus of ours," he said.