Gentry Plastics, Inc., has dedicated the last 22 years to perfecting the art of injection molding. Now, with a portfolio of more than 500 plastic parts, the contract molder has successfully solidified its reputation as a provider of complex and challenging solutions. Vice President Brian Hershman and team divulged more about the company, in an exclusive interview with Inside America. Report by Imogen Ward.
Operating from 40,000sqft in Gastonia, NC, Gentry Plastics, Inc., has maintained its marketleading position with help from several crucial investments.
“Over the last four years, we have facilitated a major push for the development of our assembly division,” Vice President Brian Hershman said. “We started with just a small assembly by the press, and now we have a dedicated and flexible assembly department.”
As an expert in plastic molding, and a loyal contractor, Gentry Plastics can produce more than 500 products, all
of which are owned by its customers.
The contract molder produces its components from engineering grade resins and prides itself on the fact that every component is challenging in some way.
“Complex manufacturing is our place in the market,” Mr. Hershman commented.
“The majority of our customers have been to another molder before and weren’t happy with the outcome. All our projects are completely different, from lawn and garden products to night vision goggles. The only things they share are the raw material and a complex nature of some sort.”
Plastics molding is just one of Gentry Plastics’ capabilities, it can also perform ultrasonic welding, gluing, drilling, and plastic parts machining. The company benefits from its own truck, perfect for making prompt deliveries.
Enthusiastic expansion
As part of its investment objectives, Gentry Plastics recently acquired four new electric presses and implemented an assembly division. The introduction of a flexible assembly line capable of producing over 200 SKUs was a strategic decision that benefited Gentry Plastics’ overarching mission.
“Ever since we began operating in 2002, we held the vision of becoming a one stop shop for tough plastics,” explained Mr. Hershman. “There are a lot of companies out there that make tough plastics, some that assemble, and there are a lot of shops that do some assembly, but there aren’t many businesses that combine them all together under one roof.
“Our customers can come to us with a really challenging idea and we help them develop that into a product. We help build the tools and deliver a final product, as opposed to just the components. This has been a nice bolt on business for us, and the assembly line investment has helped advance us towards that goal of becoming a true one stop shop.”
The new assembly line has added a lot of value for customers and has opened the company up to further expansion going forward. According to Mr. Hershman, Gentry Plastics loves being able to
GENTRY PLASTICS I PROFILE
provide an entire solution, even going as far as to package and ship the products, so any future expansion would only benefit that ethos.
“It has been exciting to see our growth over the years,” said Program Manager Misty Kiser. “We are always looking for the next improvement to drive value and better serve our customers.”
Daring digitalization
The new assembly line is also joined by an investment into the digital world, with Gentry Plastics dedicating funds to new software to improve several key processes. Working in collaboration with InTouch Systems (an authorized Peplink & Starlink solutions provider based in the UK), Gentry Plastics will have a tablet installed on each of its machines, which measures uptime and quality.
“InTouch has been great to work with,” Mr. Hershman explained. “The company is really helping us to improve uptime and the overall effectiveness of our equipment.”
Gentry Plastics found InTouch whilst trying to locate a company that could measure the productivity of its machines for a fixed period. Having assessed a lot of different companies, the plastics expert landed on InTouch because of the company’s straightforward, user-friendly solution.
“Simplicity was really important to us; we didn’t want a confusing system that only a select few (technically inclined associates) could understand,” con tinued Mr. Hershman. “We wanted something that could be displayed on TVs all over the
building, where people could look at it and intuitively know what they were looking at. InTouch could offer that for us.”
A solid support system
Investment has been incredibly important to Gentry Plastics, becoming an integral part of the company’s continuous strategic goals. “When customers are happy and delivery times are good, there is a tendency to become stagnant, and we don’t want that to happen to us,”
Mr. Hershman explained. “We want to continue improving our capabilities and capacity. That’s why investment is so important to smaller companies like us.”
“We are always looking for the next improvement to drive value and better serve our customers.”
Investment is just one element in the company’s success story. Gentry Plastics also relies on a chain of key suppliers, which it could not operate without.
“All our suppliers are critical to our operations,” said Mr. Hershman. “We have a fantastic supply chain, and we are pleased with all of them. We regularly rely on resin manufacturer AVEE Polymers, and welding expert Filer Micro Welding.
“Being able to find suppliers that are adaptable and technically knowledgeable
