Article from Plastics News

DPI speeds medical products to market

Helping customers bring new products to market at light speed is one of the things that sets Diversified Plastics Inc. apart from its competition.

In early 2019, DPI launched a new unit for additive manufacturing, dubbed the Acceleration Station. 3D printing is becoming a rapidly growing sector for the custom molder, both in helping to prototype new injection molded components and also to make production parts.

Founded in 1977, DPI specializes in high-precision, close-tolerance parts and components for medical device, aerospace and a variety of other industrial markets. The company provides full-service contract manufacturing services.

In 2020, DPI had excess capacity due to the postponement of elective surgeries and lower demand for other products. So it proactively sought ways to ease the shortage of life-saving equipment including face shields, building tooling in record time and at one point producing more than 30,000 halos daily.

DPI also produced ventilator parts and splitters. A splitter allows one ventilator to support two patients.

The 2019 PN Excellence Award winner for employee relations, DPI is owned by its workers through an employee stock ownership plan. DPI also has a sister company in Vista, Calif., Pacific Plastics Injection Molding. DPI and PPIM have more than 100 employees, and after a recent 5,000-square-foot addition to the PPIM facility, the Minnesota and California facilities total 78,000 square feet.

DPI is led by CEO Kevin Hogan, who joined the company in 2017. Company founder James Dow is still involved as well.