Diversified Plastics, Inc. (DPI) and Pacific Plastics Injection Molding (PPIM) have advanced their resources through collaboration and shared capabilities. As a result of efforts since DPI acquired PPIM at the end of 2018, customers and employees have benefited from the synergies between the two businesses. Customers benefit from added capabilities and PPIM employees are looking forward to being eligible for the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Combined, DPI and PPIM have more than 100 employees in facilities totaling 73,000 square feet.

Delivering small to large production runs of plastic injection-molded and digitally manufactured parts, DPI is headquartered in Minnesota and PPIM is in California. Both locations are geographic hubs for medical-device and other industries.

“Business and customer needs change. Through collaboration and investment in our facilities, we are repurposing equipment and streamlining processes,” says Kevin Hogan, chief executive officer of Diversified Plastics, Inc. “In addition, we realize significant savings in insurance and greater combined purchasing power for materials.”

After acquiring a new electric press as part of DPI’s initiative to be 70 percent electric by 2020, a 390-ton press from the Minneapolis manufacturing plant was installed at PPIM, increasing capacity. In need of a color match quality system for specific customers, PPIM’s spectrometer was relocated to DPI. Also, other equipment was sent to the California facility. Thanks to DPI’s Carbon Network Production Partnership, PPIM has completed Carbon training and offers customers additive manufacturing when appropriate.

“Blending our marketing resources and efforts has improved results while sharing costs,” says Rob Gilman, general manager at PPIM. “DPI and PPIM use the same enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, making management simpler. As part of our continuous improvement program, DPI is sharing its expertise in 5S lean manufacturing. Providing cleanroom assembly and manufacturing at the Minneapolis facility has expanded our capabilities to existing and new medical-device customers.”

About Pacific Plastics Injection Molding
Founded in 1980, Pacific Plastics Injection Molding (PPIM) produces custom injection molds and molded plastic parts that meet or exceed customer requirements, on schedule, at a competitive price. ISO 9001:2015 registered, the company has a fully integrated operation offering design, in-house and offshore tooling and production. www.pacificplastic.com

Article by Plastics News

French materials supplier Arkema had made a $20 million strategic investment in Silicon Valley startup Carbon to advance the company’s digital lighting synthesis technology for 3D printing. 

Diversified Plastics, Inc. (DPI) is a Carbon Production Network Partner. Click here to learn more about DPI’s Acceleration Station services, including Carbon additive manufacturing.

Article by Carbon

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) is successfully producing parts based on Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis™ technology, including a hemocytometer adapter for the BD Rhapsody™ single-cell genomic analysis system. This component would have been impractical and expensive to injection mold, making it an ideal candidate for Digital Light Synthesis™. By partnering with Carbon, BD optimized the part to reduce print time by 55% and use 7% less material, accelerated their product development cycle, and economically produced final parts.

Diversified Plastics, Inc. (DPI) is a Carbon Production Network Partner. Click here to learn more about DPI’s Acceleration Station services, including Carbon additive manufacturing.

Article by Carbon Wilson Tool International is introducing a line of oil reservoirs made for the QuickTap™ tapping tool that are developed using Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis™ technology. These parts were previously made with cold-rolled steel that carried high costs and long lead times. With Carbon, Wilson Tool International is recognizing cost savings of up Read more…

Article in Summer 2019 Enterprise Minnesota

Kevin Hogan uses sharp strategic focus to help transform Diversified Plastics from a loose ‘entrepreneurial’ operation to a well-honed operation.

Kevin Hogan arrived at the Brooklyn Park headquarters of Diversified Plastics in July 2017 prepared to take the reins of the company from owner Jim Dow, who was retiring. It seemed like an ideal pairing of managerial skills and business opportunity. Hogan brought to the company a diverse résumé of executive experience and exper-tise. With an MBA from the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota, he has served in positions at Pillsbury, Jos-tens, and Select Comfort, as well as several startups.

For its part, Diversified was a profitable company with a longstanding and deeply loyal workforce. Six of its 60 employees started as members of the “baker’s dozen” of employees who had been with Dow since he founded the company 40 years earlier. Based on five consecutive years of record revenues, the company enjoyed an enviably cash-rich balance sheet. And perhaps most important, Dow, then 80 years old, seemed ready to hand it over. He joked that he had taken the company as far as his “entrepreneurial” orientation would let him, adding that it was time for “professional management” to achieve things he hadn’t…

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Retirement Party for Mary Scharber and Paul Donais.

This spring DPI’s employees celebrated the retirement of two of it’s team members, Mary Scharber and Paul Donais. Part of the original “baker’s dozen” (first 13 employees), Mary and Paul started and ended their careers at about the same time. Paul was one of DPI’s talented shift supervisor. Mary started as the quality control manager at DPI. After the company helped her get her AA and her quality engineer certificate, Mary added ASQ-CQE to her credentials and became DPI’s certified quality engineer. Congratulations on a job well done Mary and Paul!

DPI’s Julie Showers was recently featured in Women Breaking the Mold in Plastics News. She began her career in the plastics industry as a press operator in 1977. Showers was one of DPI’s first employees. Today, she is the production manager at the company. Her duties include scheduling for the shop floor and just-in-time orders. 

“It’s been an honor to be part of breaking that mold. Now we have experienced and talented women at every level of our organization,” says Showers.

She learned from the ground up and continues to embrace advancements in the industry. Showers is a role model and a mentor for other women at Diversified Plastics, Inc. and in manufacturing companies throughout the community.

DPI collected 532 lbs. of food as part of the 13th annual Bonnie Schultz Memorial Food Drive! DPI employee collected $415 and 117 lbs. of food. With each dollar equal to a pound of food, DPI collected 532 lbs. or nearly 8 lbs. of food per employee.

Today is World Down Syndrome Day. The team at DPI is rocking their socks to build awareness for down syndrome. To learn more or make a donation, visit the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota www.dsamn.org. #LotsOfSocks

Diversified Plastics, Inc. celebrates Saint Patrick’s Day in style.