What's New » March 2007
ATEK Plastics Continues to Grow
It’s been a substantial turnaround at ATEK Plastics in Kerrville, Texas, with sales and production rapidly increasing. And that doesn’t mean the best has already come.
ATEK Plastics President Tom Houdeshell says 2006 was such a strong year for the company that it set 20 different records for quality and efficiency.
“There are three big things to focus on,” he says. “Forming good customer relationships and partnerships, purchasing good capital equipment and getting the right people on the bus.”
ATEK Plastics, previously known as Acrometal and AcroTech Plastics, provides injection-molding solutions to the medical, automotive, industrial, and commercial markets. The company was acquired by Acrometal in 1995 for its plastic surface mount device product lines and manufacturing capabilities.
Over the last 10 years, in addition to the reel product lines, the company has transitioned into a full-service contract plastic injection facility serving OEM customers. ATEK Plastics is ISO/TS 16949 certified and provides total injection molding solutions to customers in the medical, automotive, industrial, and commercial markets. Other ATEK highlights include:
- Class 10,000 clean room.
- 90,000 square foot facility.
- Injection molding machines ranging in size from 45 tons to 1,000 tons.
- Decoupled molding techniques.
- 99 percent on-time delivery over the last four years, including 100 percent on-time delivery in 2006.
- Six sigma based part approval process, complete with DOE certification.
- Single digit DPPM in medical.
Seventy percent of its business is with customers in Mexico. Much of that is in the medical products components sector, although the automotive sector is growing rapidly as well.
Houdeshell says the adoption of lean manufacturing techniques has been critical to the firm’s success.
ATEK Plastics recorded just over $4 million in sales of medical product components in fiscal 2006, compared to just $200,000 in 2005 when the specialization was new to the company. Manufactured units increased from 5 million in 2002, to more than 130 million in 2006.
“We have made great progress over the last few years and are on our way to becoming a critical supplier to a significant portion of the medical products industry,” Houdeshell says.
“It means getting the right people into the business, creating a lean atmosphere and maintaining good customer relationships.”
Houdeshell is a seasoned plastics-manufacturing veteran and has been with ATEK Plastics since 2001. He has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the plastics industry, with involvement in all aspects of the business, including quality assurance management, engineering management and sales management. He is an expert at implementing lean manufacturing principles, training disciplines and workforce improvements.
As president, he focuses on developing and improving customer relationships by providing total solutions through protection, quality, supply chain management, intense workforce training and engineering.
Prior to joining ATEK Plastics, Houdeshell was vice president of Creative Plastics – one of the first injection molders to implement the three-stage decoupled molding process in the United States.
At ATEK Plastics, the search for improvement is constant.
“Lean manufacturing is a good part of it,” Houdeshell says of ATEK Plastic’s improvements. “It’s all about continuous improvement.
“Having no problem is a problem. Having no problems means we just haven’t looked hard enough. We do have a very good team here.”
Mexico outlook
ATEK Plastics is located less than 100 miles from San Antonio, home to Toyota Motor Company’s newest assembly plant. Houdeshell believes the Toyota plant will generate new business for the region. He also says Mexico may cost more than China, but that the ease of doing business in Mexico compared to China makes it attractive.
“Our customers have issues with the complicated logistics associated with China,” he says. “More and more are willing to pay a little more to come to Mexico where communication and logistics are not an issue.”
ATEK Plastics built its success on close partnering with customer engineering and manufacturing organizations. From conception to production, ATEK provides cradle to grave service.
ATEK also offers fabrication, from concept through prototype, and into production. With its broad understanding of materials and processes, ATEK Plastics is able to optimize every step to achieve a superior result. Tooling programs are routinely turned full circle in 20 days or less.
ATEK Plastics is part of ATEK Companies, based in Minneapolis, Minn.
ATEK Companies is the preferred manufacturing partner serving such industries as medical, transportation, aerospace, defense, and communications. ATEK Companies distinguishes itself from the competition through its 60-year history of delivering unparalleled value in terms of quality, delivery and costs, and creative solutions. ATEK Companies offers total project management, including product design and launch, supply chain management, production, packaging, and distribution. ATEK Companies is comprised of five business units including ATEK Medical Manufacturing, ATEK Manufacturing, Progress Casting Group, ATEK Plastics, and ATEK Products Group. ATEK Companies has facilities in Minneapolis, Albert Lea, and Brainerd, Minn.; Kerrville, Texas; New Hampton, Iowa; and Grand Rapids, Mich.
ATEK Companies form strategic partnerships with customers and suppliers to offer total solutions project management, including product design and launch, and supply chain management. Capabilities include assembly, production, documentation, manufacturing, packaging, sterilization and distribution.
ATEK Companies employs more than 1,000 people and has revenue in excess of $150 million.