PN names 2022 Processor of the Year finalists, Sustained Excellence winner

Plastics News has named four finalists for the 2022 Processor of the Year award: Medbio LLC, Radius Packaging, Redline Plastics LLC and Teel Plastics LLC.

PN has also named a 2022 Sustained Excellence award winner: Hoffer Plastics Corp.

All five companies will be recognized at the 2023 Plastics News Executive Forum, set for Feb. 27 to March 1 in Clearwater Beach, Fla., and they will be profiled in the March 13 issue.

The company that takes home the 2022 Processor of the Year trophy will be the 28th in the history of the award. The 2021 winner was MMI Engineered Solutions Inc., an automotive injection molder, blow molder and toolmaker based in Saline, Mich.

Here's a description of each company, in alphabetical order:

The Sustained Excellence award is offered exclusively to previous Processor of the Year winners. Hoffer Plastics, in South Elgin, Ill., was the 2012 Processor of the Year winner.

Sustained Excellence winners are judged on three criteria: financial excellence, one extraordinary new development since winning Processor of the Year and one key person who has remained at the company and plays a key role.

Hoffer Plastics will celebrate its 70th anniversary in March. Robert A. Hoffer Sr., a member of the Plastics Hall of Fame, founded the injection molder in 1953.

Financially, Hoffer Plastics has been consistently profitable and shown steady growth since 2012.

The company's extraordinary new development is the creation and expansion of the company's "Lok" family of proprietary closures for flexible and rigid packaging.

The "one key person" at Hoffer Plastics is actually three: Gretchen Hoffer Farb, Charlotte Hoffer Canning and Alex Hoffer, the third generation of family managers at the company. The trio was officially given responsibility for leading the company in January 2020 — just before the start of the coronavirus pandemic — by their father, Bill Hoffer, who is now the company's chairman.

Plastics News will profile Hoffer Plastics on March 13.

Medbio, an injection molder and contract manufacturer specializing in the medical sector, started as Tillman Industries in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2004. Ron and Chris Williams took over in 2006 and immediately started to expand, even in the face of the 2009 Great Recession.

The name change came in 2011, and the company has also made three acquisitions: Concept Molds in Schoolcraft, Mich., in 2014; AIM Plastics in Clinton Township, Mich., in 2019; and Polymer Conversions in Orchard Park, N.Y., in 2020.

Medbio specializes in precision molding, assembly, packaging and project management. Its capabilities include engineering design and development, micromolding, insert and overmolding, liquid silicone molding, and complex assembly and secondary operations.

Technology is a strength. In 2017, Medbio began an improvement effort with a simple mantra: "eliminate variation." The company invested heavily in automation, improved processing, new equipment, eliminating waste and improving quality.

That's paid off in superior customer relations. One customer said Medbio's "quality is second to none." Another said "they have about 95 percent of our molding business. A+ in all respects."

New Berlin, Wis.-based Radius Packaging may still be better known by its previous name, Schoeneck Containers Inc. The company was founded in 1972 by Bob Schoeneck and was rebranded as Radius in 2022.

The company has a strong market share in the Midwest with expertise in both blow molding and injection molding. In recent years, it has transitioned rapidly into a highly automated rigid packaging company with strong in-house design and development services.

While it's no longer family-owned, the company has retained its fun, friendly culture where workers are called "members" instead of employees. Radius offers numerous recognition and training programs, giving workers opportunities to advance in their careers. Internships and apprenticeships are also part of the company culture, which puts a big emphasis on education.

Sustainability is another strength at Radius. The company has cut energy consumption even as it has seen significant business growth, and it has cut waste and scrap. Radius has also been working to prepare to help customers transition to sustainable materials; that includes investing in PET bottle manufacturing capacity and trials for a variety of post-consumer resins.

Redline Plastics, a rotational molder and thermoformer in Manitowoc, Wis., has been on PN's Best Places to Work list two years in a row, so its employee relations are already well known. Its goal is to be the employer of choice for individuals in Manitowoc County.

Redline's self-described "outrageous cultural behaviors" include the phrases Get Amped, Be a Ninja, and Don't be a Jackass, which emphasize honesty and good communication.

Redline Plastics has been growing rapidly. Its workforce has increased from 55 in 2018 to 180 today, which has helped the company become one of the fastest-growing North American rotomolders.

One customer said "the level of excellence for every aspect of the project has been second to none." Another said that it tries to send all of its projects to Redline because "we know the quality, pricing and delivery will all be where we need it to be."

Another area of strength is in community relations. Redline is active in the Association of Rotational Molders, the Northeastern Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance and Progress Lakeshore. It was also nominated for Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year.

Redline has a reputation as a recovery-friendly employer, and in the past year it partnered with Lighthouse Recovery Center. The company has more than 10 employees who are active in the recovery program, and managers are proud to offer them with a safe working environment to support their journey.

Baraboo, Wis.-based Teel Plastics is the only repeat Processor of the Year finalist this year. Teel won the PN Excellence Award for industry and public service in 2019. Last year the company was a Processor of the Year finalist and won the 2021 PN Excellence Award for customer relations.

Teel took home another major award in 2022: It was the winner of the 33rd annual Manufacturer of the Year Award — large company category — from Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce. In that contest, it was up against some of the best manufacturing companies in Wisconsin.

Teel is 72 years old and has an interesting mix of products and capabilities that, on the surface, might appear unrelated. What other company makes both natural gas pipe and high-quality nasopharyngeal swabs used in COVID-19 test kits?

But the fact is that Teel's expertise is in regulated products that require close-tolerance manufacturing, and many use highly engineered materials.

Teel was the fastest-growing company in this year's Processor of the Year finalists, and it's handled the growth effectively, managing to improve quality and energy efficiency and boost employment.

In 2022, the company also stepped up its community involvement, with donations to numerous organizations with an emphasis on projects that benefit employees, the Baraboo community, education and economic development.