All about partnerships for Sterling Manufacturing

Lancaster, Mass. — With a multi-million dollar investment in its silicone and thermoplastic elastomer molding abilities in both the medical and aerospace segments over the past two years, the runway to the future for Sterling Manufacturing Co. goes through New England.

That's because Sterling increased its footprint in the Northeast in 2019 with the acquisition of Leominster, Mass.-based Albright Technologies Inc., which focuses on short-run production tooling, prototyping and compression LSR molding for OEMs. The company has made a name for itself in that space — exactly the recognition that drew Sterling to Albright as a complementary company in the first place.

"We have spent the last year-and-a-half building out our capabilities in silicone, now with a much bigger presence," said Stan Bowker, president of Sterling Manufacturing. "Albright is known primarily as a research and development house, but it lacked Sterling's expertise on the back end — the ability to commercialize and scale up programs."

As such, Sterling spent the last year and about $2 million in expanding and improving the infrastructure at the 37,500-sq.-ft. Albright site, building two new clean rooms (for a total of four), a white room (for a total of two) and a compression room. The company has brought in about seven new employees to drive that growth, for a total work force now of about 100, Bowker said.

The company plans to add another 10-15 employees at Albright in the coming years.

Sterling itself boasts 40,000 square feet in Lancaster, and Bowker describes the mid-sized parent company as "more of a traditional plastics molder and manufacturer," with multiple clean rooms that are part of TPE and polycarbonate manufacturing processes.

"But we have big company capabilities," Bowker said. "Our management team is well-versed and can make anything from a small fussy medical part to high-volume runs. We have an excellent tooling background and engineering-based approach to this. Our customers have enjoyed working with Sterling because we are flexible."

As Sterling celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, Bowker said he sees a bright future for the formidable pair—and their partnership with Engel Machinery Inc.

"We're very excited about the opportunities Albright will bring us moving forward," Bowker said. "An additional facility with its LSR capabilities, all backed by Engel's injection molding technology, gives us the runway we need to take off into further growth and success."

Besides versatile medical and aerospace molding, Sterling/Albright serves the pharmaceutical, industrial and consumer markets in the production of seals, gaskets, hoses and tight tolerance products. The medical space is immersed in biotech capacity, with the production of cell culture plates and parts for medical devices for elective surgeries, typically purchased by large OEMs, Bowker said.

Albright continues to maintain its own branding in the LSR and HCR molding markets.

Engel partnership propels firm forward

Besides their complementary manufacturing philosophies and products, another similarity between Albright and Sterling is their affinity for the use of Engel LSR/injection molding machinery.

"The other appeal was Albright's commitment to Engel, much like our own," Bowker said. "And when we bought Albright, Engel was there with silicone offerings that made the transition even smoother."

Outside of the $2 million investment Sterling made in Albright's infrastructure, the company has invested more than $1 million in injection/LSR molding machines, almost exclusively from Engel, ranging from 28 to 550 tons. With Albright, the company now boasts 35 injection/LSR molding machines.

"Part of the investment process has been bringing in molding machines from Engel," Bowker said. "It is a rare occasion when we go outside the Engel family, but roughly 95 percent are Engel machines."

Specifically, the Albright expansion saw the addition of three new Engel machines that included a 130-ton "e-victory" hybrid machine for silicone production, plus two "victory" hydraulic machines for thermoplastic runs — a 55-ton and a 130-ton machine. All three machines provide unobstructed access to the mold mounting area.

Engel's diverse offerings and innovative solutions — from small tonnage clean room machines to large tonnage and two-shot, as well as vertical and silicone machines — has allowed Sterling as a custom molder to provide customers with an array of production capability choices, Bowker said.

"A 130-ton hybrid silicone machine was our first machine purchase for Albright's new clean room," Bowker said, adding the machine also included an Engel "viper" linear servo robot with an automation package. "They've been a big part of our success."

David Girioni of Girioni Associates, Engel's sales representative for Sterling, agrees.

"From the very beginning in 2011, Sterling's loyalty speaks volumes of the power of both Engel's technology and dedication to its customers," Girioni said.

Bowker said Sterling has been with Engel for 25 years, attracted to its driverless, electrically operated portfolio. It keeps Sterling/Albright from having to go to multiple houses to shop for machines.

"They are very reliable, very responsive to our needs," Bowker said. "You can train someone to optimize for horsepower ... If you have just one machine, one brand to learn on, you become a much better molder."

Looking ahead, Bowker noted that the LSR and TPE markets are flourishing, if somewhat volatile in current silicone raw material pricing.

"The market is robust and demand is high," Bowker said. "The medical industry continues to improve its products. With COVID in the here-and-now, a lot of devices are being developed to combat the pandemic, such as ventilators and masks."

"But raw material pricing is dicey right now, especially with what is going on in Texas. Companies are going force majeure and it is challenging to navigate delivery of raw materials right now."

With the first 10 years under its belt, at least with current ownership, the next 10 should continue to bring increases in annual growth rates at Sterling Manufacturing.

"I am envisioning a straw hut with a beach sign, maybe a rum hut in Jamaica," Bowker joked about the future. "If we set about doing what we did at Albright, adding capabilities in the next four to five years and growing our programs with customers, in another four to five years if we approach another capacity limitation we will look to expand our horizons once again. We are looking to get word out and expand on our opportunities."