Materials maker ATC Plastics LLC is enjoying a strong growth curve in 2018.
The firm's sales for the year are up 20 percent so far. It recently added a Farrel Continuous Mixer at its Houston plant as well, managing partner Tom Stevning said in a recent email to Plastics News.
"I don't see [the growth] slowing down anytime soon," he added. Indianapolis-based ATC specializes in making black color concentrates based on polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and EVA.
The FCM line has been running at full capacity for three months, allowing ATC to continue growing its black concentrate business, Stevning said. Extrusion, compounding, sheet and molding markets all have shown growth this year, he added.
ATC, which does both proprietary and toll compounding, operates several single-screw and twin-screw extrusion lines as well. The firm now has more than 90 million pounds of annual production capacity. The Houston site can handle railcars, bulk trucks, boxes and super sacks.
ATC also has access to 58 silos on a 12-acre property. Those silos can store material ranging from 50,000 pounds to 500,000 pounds. Half of the silos are blending silos, according to Stevning. ATC has the capacity to do toll blending if needed.
On the tolling side, ATC offers production time on one side of its plant for compounds based on polyethylene and polypropylene resins. The firm, which employs 25-30, also has renovated its 7,200-square-foot office and upgraded its lab facilities since late 2017.
"The future looks very strong for us," Stevning said. "We want to make sure we are positioned to continue to grow our business."
Stevning and managing partner Rich Mejia bought the business from the Heller family in 2010. They then acquired the 171,000-square-foot Houston site — also from the Heller family — in 2012. Privately held ATC doesn't release annual sales figures.
Stevning has more than 35 years of industry experience, including more than 18 years with the PVC business of Formosa Plastics Corp. USA. His son Chad serves as vice president at ATC. Chad Stevning was named as one of Plastics News' Rising Stars of 2016.
