Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/698742
www.wbjournal.com Book of Lists 2016 • Worcester Business Journal 65 Top plastics companies Ranked by number of local employees Name Employees Description Head of company Year founded 1 FLEXcon 1 FLEXcon Industrial Park, Spencer 01562 508-885-8200 • www.flexcon.com 629 Films and adhesives Neil McDonough president & CEO 1956 2 Bemis Associates Inc. 1 Bemis Way, Shirley 01464 978-425-6761 • www.bemisworldwide.com 250 Thermoplastic adhesive films, coatings and tapes Stephen Howard CEO 1923 2 Mexichem Specialty Compounds, Inc. * 170 Pioneer Drive, Leominster 01453 978-537-8071 • mexichemspecialtycompounds.com 250 Specialty compounds based in PVC, TPO, TPU and TPE compounds Daniel J. DeLisle general manager 1979 4 Georgia-Pacific Corp. 149 Hamilton St., Leominster 01453 978-537-4701 • www.gp.com 210 Plastic flatware James Hannan president & CEO 1987 ** 5 Pexco LLC P.O. Box 659, 764 South Athol Road, Athol 01331 978-249-5343 • www.pexco.com 160 Plastic profile and tubing extrusions for medical, fence and custom markets Neil Shillingford CEO 1948 6 Injectronics Corp. 1 Union St., Clinton 01510 978-365-1200 • www.injectronics.com 120 Design and contract manufacturing for medical device, diagnostic disposables and biotech markets Paul Nazzaro president & CEO 1942 7 Advanced Cable Ties Inc. 245 Suffolk Lane, Gardner 01440 800-861-7228 • www.advancedcableties.com 100 Plastic cable ties and cable tie removal tools Ken Tomasetti president 1994 7 Leaktite Corp. 40 Francis St., Leominster 01453 978-537-8000 • www.leaktite.com 100 Injection molded containers Rodney G. Sparrow president 1945 9 Mar-Lee Cos. Inc. 180 Authority Drive, Fitchburg 01420 978-343-9600 • www.mar-leecompanies.com 86 *** Plastic injection-molded consumer and medical products Alain Mutschler president 1972 10 Fosta-Tek Optics Inc. 320 Hamilton St., Leominster 01453 978-534-6511 • www.fosta-tek.com 85 Optical molding and coating for military, automotive and safety products John Morrison president 1991 11 First Plastics Corp. 22 Jytek Road, Leominster 01453 978-537-0367 • www.firstplastics.com 75 Plastic injection molding Edward Mazzaferro president 1988 11 Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics 717 Plantation St., Worcester 01605 508-852-3072 • www.plastics.saint-gobain.com 75 Plastic film laminations and coatings Tom Kinisky president 1665 13 BWAY Corp. 196 Industrial Road, Leominster 01453 978-537-4911 • www.bwaycorp.com 73 Rigid plastic packaging Ken Roessler CEO 1970 14 Modern Dispersions Inc. 78 Marguerite Ave., Leominster 01453 978-534-3370 • www.moderndispersions.com 65 Thermoplastic compounds and color concentrates John Kozma CEO 1967 15 Rocheleau Tool & Die Co. 117 Industrial Road, Fitchburg 01420 978-345-1723 • www.rocheleautool.com 63 Blow-molding machinery, blow molds and trimming equipment Steven R. Rocheleau president 1938 16 Mayfield Plastics Inc. 68 Providence Road, P.O. Box 602, Sutton 01590 508-865-8150 • www.mayfieldplastics.com 45 Custom thermoforming, vacuum forming and pressure forming Jay Kumar president 1972 17 Bisson Tool & Die Co. Inc. 830 Westminster St., Fitchburg 01420 978-343-6443 12 Injection molds for plastics industry, specializing in medical products and components James O. Bisson president 1987 17 Mayhew Basque Plastics LLC 28 Jytek Park, Leominster 01453 978-537-5219 • www.mayhewbasqueplastics.com 12 Custom injection molding using engineering materials and commodity resins Clifford J. Basque president 2014 19 CSIPlastics Inc. 50 Howe Ave., Millbury 01527 508-829-7353 • www.csiplastics.com 3 Recycling and trading of post-industrial and post- commercial plastics and fluoropolymers Steven E. Silver president 1990 Source: Each company via survey. Note: EasyPak LLC of Leominster, G & F Industries Inc. of Sturbridge and Nypro of Clinton did not respond to the survey. A. Schulman Custom Compounding NE of Worcester declined to participate. * Formerly AlphaGary Corp. a subsidiary of Mexichem Corp. of Tlalnepantla, Mexico ** Has been in operation since 1960s; acquired by Georgia-Pacific/predecessor company in 1987 *** Figure includes employees from Leominster site. - Compiled by: Stephanie R. Meagher, smeagher@nebusinessmedia.com Manufacturers have come and gone over the past 60 years, but Spencer-based FLEXcon has held strong, as a worldwide leader in pressure-sensitive adhesive coated films, which is why it won the 2016 Manufacturing General Excellence Award for Large Companies from the Worcester Business Journal. The company has come a long way since it was founded in a garage 60 years ago by Myles McDonough. Back then, it was a local startup, and today it is a leading innovator in custom films with more than 1,000 employees worldwide (three are pictured above). It remains a private, family-owned firm. FLEXcon's secret to maintaining a strong presence in the manufacturing industry is to focus on client relationships and employee development, and be able to shift to clients' shifting needs, said Mike Engel, FLEXcon chief operations officer. "We have continued to be able to, despite economic cycles, develop opportunities with customers and continue to move forward," Engel said. The company is a world leader in pressure-sensitive film products, with locations in Ontario, California, Hong Kong and the Netherlands, in addition to its main facility in Spencer. Traditionally, FLEXcon has been able to shift its core processes to the needs of the market, Engel said. The company has been involved with medical devices for 30 years. Regulations require films for medical devices to have cleaner applications, using a coated laminate rather than mechanical bond agents. FLEXcon may be an international company, but its roots are very much in this region. The company has a strong internal reference structure, meaning many employees refer their family members to work at FLEXcon. A strong employee base is at the company's core, Engel said. - Laura Finaldi FLEXcon focuses on relationships, innovation