Allied Plastics Inc. in Twin Lakes has more than doubled its employment since the beginning of 2011. It also saw 28.8 percent revenue growth from 2010 to 2011.
The custom thermoforming company is on track to hit between $27 million and $30 million in sales this year and now has 157 full-time and about 50 temporary employees, said Tim Neal, who co-owns the company with Steve Wieder.
Allied will receive the Kenosha County Business of the Year Award at the Kenosha County Business Excellence Awards presented by the Kenosha Area Business Alliance (KABA) and the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Nov. 14.
The company has recently landed several major original equipment manufacturer accounts, which Neal attributes to its growth.
Allied operates out of a 100,000-square-foot facility In Twin Lakes. It expanded in 2006 to add 24,000 square feet and connect the production and distribution centers. In 2010, Allied expanded its administrative offices and added a sales showroom and conference area. It also leased 46,000 square feet of distribution space in Genoa City last year.
The company has been in business for 17 years, but doesn’t promote itself outside its website, Neal said.
“I really believe that what has happened is that our reputation has finally caught up to us,” he said. “It’s been word of mouth, reputation, and people have finally heard about us enough that they come and visit our facility. Once they visit our facility, they’re sold.”
The company molds between 4,000 and 5,000 large pieces per day, the largest of which is half-inch plastic at 8 feet-by-14 feet.
Allied has an engineering department that helps customers, who are mainly in the OEM and reusable packaging industries, design plastic thermoform products. Customers are mostly in the Midwest and Southeast.
Some of Allied’s biggest customers are major agriculture equipment manufacturers.
“We are the largest tractor cab roof manufacturer in the world,” Neal said.
Allied has partnered with KABA and Gateway Technical College to train employees in CNC and robotics skills, as well as blueprint reading.
Some of the company’s methods and techniques set it apart from competitors, like using robotic trimming for some projects, which is quicker than CNC trimming. It has seen the most growth in robotic trimming work.
A project that Allied recently landed came from a competitor using a different kind of trimmer, Neal said.
“They were molding the parts and using three (CNC) trimmers to keep up,” he said. “I’m now trimming faster than I can mold. It’s basically saving two-thirds the time.”
Allied made it through the Great Recession with its diverse product mix and ability to react quickly to customer needs. Neal attributes Allied’s success to a lot of hard work and a can-do attitude.
“We’ve got a really good, strong management team here,” he said. “We as a management team all elected to go ahead and pursue these opportunities as long as they’re in front of us.”
