micro plastics, inc Celebrating “Micro Plastics was conceived from one man’s passion and vision. We have come a long way from our humble beginnings, but never forgetting our roots has made us who we are today. A key part of our company’s philosophy is to continually look to the past for inspiration.” - TOM HILL, PRESIDENT & CEO The history of Micro Plastics, Inc. is a story of how a company that started with one machine in its founder’s garage, grew to become the largest manufacturer of threaded nylon fasteners in the world. In 1960, while working as a sales engineer for General Electric, Roy Hill recognized a market need for small, injection-molded plastic parts. In the suburbs of Chicago, out of his garage, he started Micro Plastics, Inc., working nights and weekends to build the foundation of his dreams. His formula for success was competitive pricing and reliable quality. It wasn't long before he could move the family car back into the garage and take the operation into a 5,000 square foot molding facility and tooling shop. At this point, success was imminent. During the mid seventies, Roy, along with his wife Marilyn, recognized that operating the business in an urban area was slowing the pace of growth that they desired. The allure of the Ozarks and Bull Shoals Lake convinced them to make a bold decision: to move the entire operation south. Micro Plastics, Inc.’s new home became Flippin, Arkansas - population 1000. micro plastics, inc www.microplastics.com
The First 50 Years In the mid eighties, the company had grown to 50,000 square feet and over 200 employees. It's advantage of having it's own in house tooling facility, along with a diverse product line consisting of standard and custom built parts, took the company to 100,000 square feet and 300 employees by the close of the decade. The recession of the early nineties took a toll on many companies in the industry, however, Roy's practice of diversity kept Micro Plastics, Inc. afloat. The ensuing technology boom provided additional opportunities, which resulted in further expansion and positions being added. With automation and robotics in the new R&D department, Micro Plastics, Inc. began operating at an extreme level of efficiency by the turn of the millennium, which was necessary to remain competitive in an ever-demanding market. Today, the company has over 330 employees on a 35 acre campus and has become the world’s largest manufacturer of threaded nylon fasteners. The quality of the employees is something they are proud of and the hard work and excellence of the team is the main attribute to their success. The new millennium brought another recession, this one eclipsing that of the one in the nineties. When the economy sees a downturn manufacturing is usually the first to be affected and in 2008 this became a reality. Conversely, it is also true that manufacturing is the first to feel the resurgence of the economy and the current trend at Micro Plastics, Inc. is evidence of an ever strengthening economy, as in 2011 they are seeing double digit increases in sales. Although still in the midst of an economic recession, there is a silver lining for domestic manufacturers. An interesting paradigm shift in recent years has created an increasing financial advantage for domestic companies to manufacture their products at a lower cost compared to sourcing them from China. The result: previously outsourced business to Asia is now coming back to the United States. It is no longer valid that a molded plastic component from Asia is more cost effective. Micro Plastics, Inc. in particular does not have the delivery problems that the Chinese product has - worldwide shipping capacity has now made shipping from overseas more costly. continued on page 18 mpsales@microplastics.com
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