Celebrating 20 years at General Plastics
Congratulations Kathy on 20 years with General Plastics!
Robert Porsche Named Thermoformer of the Year
Robert Porsche at General Plastics Inc. in Milwaukee. Photo by: Don Loepp
Bethel, Conn. — Robert Porsche, owner of industrial thermoformer General Plastics Inc. of Milwaukee, is the new Thermoformer of the Year.
The Society of Plastics Engineers announced the news March 2. Porsche will receive the award at the SPE Thermoforming Division’s Thermoforming Conference, scheduled for Sept. 11-13 in Orlando, Fla.
Porsche has been active in the Thermoforming Division. He currently chairs the finance committee. He has co-chaired two Thermoforming Conferences, including last year’s. His company also supports the parts competition.
He is a prior winner of the Division Outstanding Achievement Award, and has served as a speaker and moderator on heavy-gauge technical sessions.
“Under Bob Porsche’s leadership, General Plastics has grown from a small business to a thermoforming industry success story,” said Bret Joslyn, chairman of the SPE Thermoforming Division. “As a long-time member of the SPE Thermoforming Division’s board of directors, Bob’s leadership in a variety of roles has contributed greatly to the division’s success.”
The Thermoformer of the Year Award continues the accolades this year for General Plastics and Porsche. On Feb. 23, General Plastics won a Grand Award at the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year competition, in the small company category. The custom thermoformer also won that statewide honor in 2014.
General Plastics also is a finalist for the Plastics News Processor of the Year Award. The award winner will be announced at the Plastics News Executive Forum, March 27-29 in Naples, Fla.
GENERAL PLASTICS, INC. AWARDED 2016 SMALL COMPANY WISCONSIN MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GENERAL PLASTICS, INC. AWARDED 2016 SMALL COMPANY WISCONSIN MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR Milwaukee, WI, March 1, 2017 General Plastics, Inc. (GP) received the 2016 Grand Award for small category (less than 100 employees) during the 29th Annual Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Awards Ceremony on February 23.
GP was one of four grand award winners. All manufacturers, large and small, were evaluated in areas such as financial growth and consistency, technological advances, product development, environmental solutions and sustainability, operational excellence/continuous improvement, commitment to employees and the future workforce of Wisconsin, community stewardship and effective research and development.
“This award recognizes Wisconsin companies that demonstrate a commitment to business excellence, which has a positive impact on the company and the state – making Wisconsin a better place to live, work and play,” said Kurt R. Bauer, President/CEO of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.
“We are very proud of this award because it affirms our common core values and culture as a company. It is an honor to receive this recognition and its presence in the company will continue to provide the incentive and continued enthusiasm for our constant endeavor to look for ways in which we can grow through advanced technology and innovation,” said Bob Porsche, Owner and President, General Plastics, Inc.
“Our state’s manufacturers are a critical part of Wisconsin’s heritage and Wisconsin’s future, and we are proud to honor many of the manufacturers that are utilizing new technologies and innovation that is changing the way we will look in the industry for years to come,” said Bauer.
The statewide recognition program is co-sponsored by Baker Tilly, one of America’s largest accounting and advisory firms; Michael Best, a preeminent law firm serving the manufacturing industry; and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state’s largest business association.
ABOUT GENERAL PLASTICS, INC.
General Plastics, Inc. (GP) is an ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001-2004 certified, full service custom plastic thermoformer. When Bob Porsche purchased the company in 1987, there were 6 full-time employees and the facility was in an 11,000-sq.-ft. Currently GP employs more than 85 dedicated full-time employees and has completed three 62,000sq./ft. expansions over the past 29 years.
GP provides high quality and cost effective turnkey solutions for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) in markets such as Bus, Rail, Truck, Marine, Office, Lavatory, Medical, Health & Wellness, Gaming, Arcade, Food & Beverage, Construction, Machine Guarding and Point of Purchase (POP) throughout the US and Canada.
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2016: A Year in Review New Equipment
The General Plastics, Inc. five-year strategic plan includes an acquisition process for purchasing new state-of-the-art technology. “Investing in advanced technology allows us to improve the work flow, which leads to a higher level of continuous quality improvement, turn-around time and ultimately customer satisfaction,” said Bob Porsche, Owner and President, General Plastics, Inc.
When developing the company’s equipment strategies all existing equipment was identified, reviewed and prioritized for replacement purposes; starting with the oldest technology. Among those needing to be replaced in 2016 was the small electric drying oven and outdated paint booth.
Gas Drying Oven [6’ x 10’ x 8’].
The new gas drying oven is located in an area to improve work flow, and reduce energy cost. The larger size also increases our sheet size capacity.
New Spray Booth [15’ x 30’] with internal curing capacity.
The new enclosed spray booth allows for a dust free environment. “The larger size improves our capabilities which opens new markets such as medical and other industries,” said Porsche.
“We believe that to grow our business we must strive to achieve the highest quality in all of our products. As technology advances, we are committed to advance with it,” said Porsche.
2016: A Year in Review Facility Expansion: Completed Summer 2016
In summer 2016, General Plastics, Inc. completed a 42,000-square-foot addition to its existing 52,000-square-foot facility. “The expansion allows us to increase our ability to enhance automation and controls technology, which is an important strategy for expanding and improving our capabilities, adding new technology, and re-layout the ‘footprint’ of our machinery to gain efficiencies and better flow,” said Bob Porsche, Owner and President, General Plastics, Inc.
The growth of the company is centered around its ability to improve the flow of its product – from receipt of the order to its shipping. “Response time and turn-around are key in growing our business and this expansion is one of the most important strategies of our five-year plan; without it we would not be able to fulfill our other strategic priorities,” said Porsche.
The facility’s expansion also included plans for enlarging the employee parking lot and installing a furnished patio complete with a grill.
“We have some of the best employees in the industry; our growth depends on them. We value every one of them,” said Porsche.
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