Bay Plastics Machinery puts customers first at K show

The growth and evolution of Bay Plastics Machinery Co. is on display at K 2022.

The 61-year-old, family-owned firm from Bay City, Mich., has come to the sprawling show to gain a greater foothold in Europe, as well as showcase two new pelletizers for the plastics, chemical and feedstock industries. The strand pelletizers — one that can produce up to 25,000 pounds per hour and another lab pelletizer for use in the testing phases, producing as little as 10 pounds per hour — can be designed specifically to customer requirements.

"We design, engineer and manufacture in-house," said Jim Forgash, vice president of sales. "We are truly a custom manufacturer of equipment, and this separates us from the big guys. Our claim to fame is that we are going to specialize it. We help develop options with our machines … whether they are for under-the-hood car components, compound bows or helmets."

And the interest thus far at their booth has been "very good," Forgash said Oct. 19.

"We have high expectations," he said. "Business for the last three years has been on fire. … We have had record year after record year after record year. Now that everyone is getting back out into the world again, this [expo] will help our efforts even further."

Jim's brother, Jeff, vice president of sales for parts and service at Bay Plastics, noted that he is "excited about the opportunities in Europe and its expanded market."

"I think it's the quality of workmanship that we bring," he said. "Being a third-generation owner, we take extra pride in being a family business. Quality is of utmost importance. … We will always err on the side of our customer relationships, almost to a fault."

BPM has 52 employees across three sites — all of which are located in Bay City — that together comprise about 45,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

Pelletizing machines, as their name would suggest, form pellets of consistent size, shape and weight for handling and measuring purposes. If the product is being mass-produced, a customer might look to Bay Plastics' new AXP heavy-duty pelletizer for heavy-duty pelletizing applications and medium-duty production. The pelletizer on display at the 2022 K show boasts excellent cutting performance, a compact size and ease of use, according to BPM.

The AXP is offered in 12-inch and 16-inch cutting widths and features customized, typically larger motors "to provide more robust cutting for today's engineered resins, including heavy glass-filled materials," according to BPM.

A push-pull bed knife allows users to adjust the knife, which wipes away the water from the strands of pellets upon pultrusion, so that the cutter is consistent from end to end.

The AXP also features larger-diameter rolls and bearings to reduce deflection across the cutting width and an optional gearbox that allows the heavy-duty customer to "engage both upper and lower feed rolls."

If a customer is seeking a pelletizer for lab use — or a test phase for a product — they might be more interested in the BT25X system, also on display at the K show. This bench-top pelletizer is an advanced version of the Bench Top 25 Lab Series of pelletizers and features industry-standard AC motors and drives — identical to BPM's full production models.

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The new drive is offered in a range of voltages, intended to be accessible to customers all over the world.

Benefits of this smaller machine include a "safe torque off" function; a wider speed range to allow slower or faster production, in both single bath and continuous modes; and control cabinet to house the drives.

"They might be running a lab and testing different materials, running a variety of strands," Jim Forgash said.

BPM itself does not charge for lab trials, maintaining an open-door policy as the customer pays for the materials and BPM can prove out the different characteristics and design features of a material.

BPM offers field service for maintenance of its machines, dispatching processing technicians to make the fixes.

"We let our customers learn while putting the machines together. … We show them the fixes and how to make them," Jim Forgash said.

Bay Plastics traces its beginnings to 1961, when Tony Forgash Sr. and his son, Tony Forgash Jr. (the grandfather and father of Jeff and Jim, respectively), formed Jetro Inc. in Bay City. The two Tonys were considered pioneers in the development of pelletizer technology, and later that same year the company introduced their first strand pelletizer.

Jeff Forgash said he still can recall his grandfather driving around in a pickup truck with "Jetro Tool and Die" written on the side, as the duo began in the tool and die realm before moving on to pelletizing machines.

One of their early customers was Dow Chemical Co., and during that time — between about 1961 and 1974 — Jetro pioneered a process of welding the cutting edges of stainless steel rotors. The process found its form and function in a completely new pelletizer developed specifically for Dow, and Jetro's reputation for innovative designs and processes began to precede it.

Bay Plastics was founded in 1997, and its presence — and two new innovative pelletizers — is essentially a culmination of the pioneering spirit at the company.

"It really is about the legacy and pride of my father and grandfather," Jeff Forgash said. "They put their heart and soul into this business, and we have 52 families to support — 52 reasons to continue it."

Outside of pelletizers, BPM offers conveyors, water baths, air knives/strand dewatering units and spare parts. Services include rotor sharpening and testing, outside of repairs and technical services.