Profile Outfits the Perfect Job Shop
Company Overview
Profile Industrial Products, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a manufacturer of custom polyethylene products. When Sam Swartz was hired by Profile as Plant Manager in May of 1998, his purpose was to purchase and install everything necessary to make a custom blown film extrusion plant. Owner Steve Ehmann, along with three other partners, gave Sam a budget, and the rest of the purchasing decisions were up to him. With a July start-up scheduled, there was no time to waste.
The Challenge
“As a manufacturer of custom industrial polyethylene products, our original marketing plan called for three extruders that would cover web widths from 22’’ to 63’’ wide,” explains Swartz. “Profile wanted to be able to corona treat, print, vent, seal, and wind many different types of products in a ‘job-shop’ style environment. A few of our product goals were J-sheeting, single wound sheeting, converter grade tubing, and bags on rolls.” The corona treater that Swartz needed for these lines had to have multiple capabilities. Easy conversion from two-sided treatment of films at widths up to 64’’, to single-sided treatment at widths of only 12 inches, was the key.
Swartz had experience with Pillar’s equipment in the past before starting at Profile. “The one, single-sided corona treater that my previous employer used was dependable and easy to operate, which is the initial reason I contacted Pillar,” he stated.
The Solution
While there was still a lot of corona treater homework to be done for Sam to reach his ultimate decision, Swartz recalls, “I researched several different corona treating companies but chose Pillar because they offered us many different treater options.” Swartz continued, “Pillar came through for us with special terms, multiple unit discounts, and a delivery of the first unit in the time frame that I needed. In a nutshell, lead time, terms, price, and quality are why Pillar earned my business over the competition.”
Because Pillar’s treater systems are able to meet the customer’s unique application needs, Profile now utilizes two Universal Corona Treaters and two Blown Film Split Box Treater Stations, all powered by Pillar’s P6000 Power Supplies, with their fifth corona treating systems on its way. All four treater are double sided; used in two-sided, fully-treated film for the foam-in-place market, and strip-treating for in-line printing. The fifth treater is a covered roll, single-side, segmented electrode station with a P6000 Power Supply for lighter runs and less demanding applications. Swartz confirms, “the Universal Treater design is open and makes it easier to thread the web, and the segmented electrodes allow me to select where the treatment occur on the film.” Along with Pillar’s corona treaters, Profile’s five extrusion lines include Alpine extruders; AEC vacuum loaders, chillers and blenders; Samtech bag machine (in-line); Samtech and CDD winding equipment; BST Promark edge guides and Bellmark printers.
The Outcome & Benefits
Since 1998, Profile has continued to grow, and has expanded their capabilities from their original marketing plan, but their goal and focus is to maintain their capabilities of completing small, custom extrusion runs. “Our success has allowed us to expand and now we have five lines with a Pillar corona treater on each. The Universal design, as well as the split box design, have done a great job for us,” Swartz comments. Of the over seven million pounds of material produced by Profile in the year 2000, they estimate the 55% of the finished product received corona treatment. “We want to add an additional line in the fourth quarter of 2001. This will include a double-sided treater.”
Pillar is proud to be a contributing factor to Profile Industrial’s quick growth and success. Pillar’s continuous improvement philosophy, which is supported by engineering excellence, customer service, employee involvement, and a total commitment to quality, has proven to be an extremely successful formula. Pillar promises to manufacture the highest quality and newest technology-based equipment available today.
