L.T. Hampel Corp. has earned an award from the Society of Plastics Engineers for its Calf-Tel dairy calf housing product.
The popular plastic calf housing product, which won first place in the twin sheet forming category of the national Thermoforming Division Parts Competition, has also driven significant growth at the Germantown manufacturer.
The company has added 95,000 square feet to its facility since 2010. Hampel also added 40 employees over the last two years for a total of 145.
And this year, sales are expected to be up 25 percent from 2012, to $34 million.
Hampel has 55 to 60 percent of the market share in calf housing worldwide, said Paul Lorge, president. About 2 million calves are born each year.
The plastic isolated homes help prevent the spread of infection among young cows.
“We like to think we can reduce death loss, depending on the installation, from 10 percent down to 2 percent or less,” he said.
The Calf-Tel segment has been up 35 percent this year, Lorge said.
“Calf-Tel is clearly the bright spot,” he said. “Overall, we’re up 15 percent.”
The increasing demand for calf housing is coming largely from developing markets, as consumers in those countries earn more disposable income and begin increasing the protein in their diets, Lorge said.
L.T. Hampel also makes portable restrooms and molded plastic parts for solar panels, agricultural equipment and other products.
“We’re always looking for ways that we can help customers solve problems,” Lorge said. “We continue to see growth on the horizon.”
