Public service part of the culture at Processor of the Year finalist Redline

Manitowoc, Wis. — For Redline Plastics LLC, being involved in the community is about more than being a good corporate citizen. It's also about standing out as the best employer in the communities where it does business.

That includes both the headquarters plant in Manitowoc and the company's factory in Hartwell, Ga., that it purchased a year ago.

"Before Redline, our focus was on just filling jobs. It was recruitment constantly. Now turnover has dropped tremendously," said Karen Beasley, human resources manager at the Hartwell plant.

The culture has changed under Redline's ownership, she said. In the past year, the company has supported local charities including a food pantry and a coat and blanket drive. It's also stepped up its participation in the local chamber of commerce.

"People here really want to be the best employer in Hartwell," Beasley said. Many workers are getting involved.

Being active in the community is a trait that helped Redline Plastics repeat as a Processor of the Year finalist for 2023. This year, the rotational molder, heavy-gauge thermoformer, composite fabricator and cut-and-sew company also won the PN Excellence Award for Industry and Public Service.

Redline and its employees are already well known for their support of community charities and projects in Manitowoc.

One effort that gets a lot of attention is Redline's support of Lighthouse Recovery Community Center, a local nonprofit that empowers those seeking recovery from addiction.

Redline has 11 employees who are active in the Lighthouse program, and it also supports employees who volunteer as recovery coaches. In 2023, Redline received a Recovery Ally Employer Award from Lighthouse for the second year in a row.

Employees in Manitowoc also supported some new projects in 2023, including a Toys for Tots drive and a Salvation Army Adopt-a-Family effort. Redline also worked with a local anti-hunger organization, a local nonprofit that supports expectant families, and Big Brothers Big Sisters Wisconsin Shoreline charity.

"At Redline, we value our connection to our communities," President Nick Murray said.

The company stood out in other Processor of the Year criteria, too.

On financial performance, Redline posted strong growth in profit and sales for the fifth year in a row. The company moved up 20 spaces in PN's 2023 ranking of North American rotomolders, rising to No. 19.

"We've had a very nice run of growth, both on the revenue side and the profitability side," said Jennifer Brungraber, director of finance. "We've made some good investments over the years, and we have a little bit of capacity to fill up, and we're looking for new opportunities at every turn."

Keeping up that pace will be more difficult as the company keeps getting larger, but Murray feels he has a strong team in place that will help the company continue to grow. "I think we've built a team here that is geared for growth. That's been very important over the past five years," Murray said.

"I think that [growth] makes this a very interesting place to be on a daily basis. There's excitement here. I feel it around the new projects that we've done in the past year," he said.

Looking at quality, Redline's scrap percentage and cost of quality metrics have continued to improve even after the acquisition.

The company noted in its Processor of the Year application that making difficult-to-mold parts, including unusual materials, often requires Redline to develop new processes and inspection methods.

"I know Nick likes to say that we cut our teeth on challenging parts, which is true," said John Shackleton, director of engineering. "We do a lot of different things today, including the ones that aren't so difficult. But it's that expertise and that knowledge base of being able to do those technical parts that really has helped us grow."

Redline has earned a lot of attention with its "outrageous cultural behaviors" that aren't anything like the plain-vanilla mission statements that you see at most companies.

Just inside the front door at the headquarters is a large poster with a cartoon donkey emblazoned with the words "Don't be a jackass — just one of the 14 cultural behaviors that make us who we are." Typically, visitors stop and immediately take a selfie when they see the sign. And that's their introduction to Redline, where workers are called "ninjas" and the culture emphasizes honesty and good communication.

"It's always a good thing to come to work and also have fun, you know. It makes a big difference. It makes people want to come to work. It makes your work enjoyable. So I've always been a big proponent of that," Shackleton said.

"As you can see from our cultural behaviors, we had a lot of fun putting those together, and we live by those," he said.

Beasley said the workers at the Georgia plant are on board: "People are wanting to stay. I think they're enjoying how they fit in with what they do and how that affects the business."

In addition to being a Processor of the Year finalist, Redline has been on PN's Best Places to Work list for four years in a row. That competition is based on employee engagement, culture and benefits.

For the newest ranking, Murray had to decide whether to include the newly acquired Georgia plant in the Best Places to Work nomination. In the end, he decided to include the Hartwell facility, knowing that it could mean the end of the Best Places to Work winning streak. (It did not. Redline finished in fourth place among North American processors.)

Murray explained that including Hartwell employees and gauging their engagement was more important than keeping the streak alive.

Redline also won points for its environmental performance. Redline invested last year in equipment to recycle scrap, and to date it has been able to reuse about a half-million pounds of linear low density polyethylene that it had previously sold to scrap dealers.

In addition, in 2023, the company was one of 10 Wisconsin businesses to receive an Energy Efficiency Excellence Award from Focus on Energy, which highlights companies that invest in projects to reduce energy consumption.

Redline's installation of energy-efficient lighting saved 390,988 kWh — enough energy to power 43 homes for an entire year. The project also creates a bright, well-lit work environment.

"Being able to clearly see the parts we're making, and our machines, is a benefit to quality and safety. It's also a nicer environment for our employees to come to every day," said Justin Van Ess, director of plant project management and maintenance.

Good lighting is just part of what Redline does to create a safe, clean factory floor. Murray said the way Redline operates is "very unique" for a rotomolder. Some of the innovations are proprietary, but they include overhead cranes, moving platforms and an efficient layout with plenty of space between rotomolders.

"That's some of the magic sauce that we have, which I think allows us to get more product off of our machines compared to those that might have more machines," Murray said.

On the technology front, Redline bought a large-format 3D printer last year with an extra-large bed surface, a maximum height over a yard tall, a temperature-controlled heated bed and a high-flow nozzle.

"We've been looking forward to adding this technology to our offerings for some time," Murray said. "We already collaborate with our customers on engineering new products and making updates to existing ones. Now we will be able to deliver testable 3D printed prototypes to help customers validate their designs and iterate at a lower price point than other prototyping options. This machine provides a much larger footprint than what people are accustomed to in the 3D printing space."

Mark Moon, director of strategic partnerships, said having a wide variety of capabilities pays off when potential customers become familiar with all of Redline's technology.

"The magic happens when they come on-site, bring their engineers in and see all the things that are at their fingertips literally to help them consolidate their suppliers and fill the truck quicker," Moon said.