Since 1953, PTA Plastics has been making custom molds and parts designed to potentially save lives, improve senior citizens’ vision and administer lab tests when your four-legged friends are under the weather.From those bright green heart defibrillators hanging inside airports, hospitals and stadiums, to the high-tech headgear used by eye care professionals to detect macular […]
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Since 1953, PTA Plastics has been making custom molds and parts designed to potentially save lives, improve senior citizens’ vision and administer lab tests when your four-legged friends are under the weather.
From those bright green heart defibrillators hanging inside airports, hospitals and stadiums, to the high-tech headgear used by eye care professionals to detect macular degeneration in older patients, PTA’s stamp can be found in many places.
With offices in both Oxford, at 148 Christian St., and Colorado, the employee-owned, plastic-injection molding company has been a force in the medical and defense/security industries, with its finger on the pulse of emerging technologies, like 3D printing.
According to Executive Vice President Mike Rocheleau, PTA utilizes state-of-the-art machining technologies to build about 200 molds per year for customers that include Johnson & Johnson, Bausch & Lomb and Medtronic.
Its 36 molding presses, ranging from 30-ton to 1,250-ton capacity, create a wide range of complex plastic parts, many of which can be found in everything from military night vision goggles to X-Ray detection devices aimed at reducing the entry of illegal substances into the U.S.
“The medical device industry is PTA’s largest market served, and much of what we manufacture is behind the scenes,” said Rocheleau. “But if you need eye surgery, it’s our parts; if your dog needs tests, it’s our parts; and many of the big test labs use machines made with PTA parts.”
In addition, Rocheleau said PTA’s 250 employees (125 in Oxford/125 in Colorado) pivoted at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic to manufacture parts to build 100,000 ventilators.
The company generates about $50 million in annual revenue.
'Additive Explorers'
PTA’s contributions have not gone unnoticed. The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) recently selected PTA as one of just six manufacturers in the state to receive a $100,000 grant.
The money will aid PTA in speeding up the adoption of additive manufacturing, which in the industry is commonly known as 3D printing. From a CAD model or digital file, 3D printing allows manufacturers to create stronger, lighter and more complex designs and parts, while reducing waste, lead time and inventory.
Rocheleau said PTA began developing a 10-year strategic plan about two years ago to incorporate 3D printing into its wheelhouse, or fear losing out to others who fully embraced the technology.
“Additive manufacturing was a key Industry 4.0 technology that we needed to explore and gain a greater understanding of,” Rocheleau said. “In fact, many in the room felt that 3D-printed plastic parts were going to become a threat to our business. It quickly became apparent that PTA needed to embrace additive manufacturing technology, and make it another tool in our toolbox.”
PTA formed a team, dubbed the “Additive Explorers,” who experimented with and learned all they could about 3D printing.
“We will use the grant to train in designing for additive, which maximizes the strengths of 3D printers, and we will accelerate the purchase of large-scale 3D printing technology to use for building, tooling and fixturing in our manufacturing operations,” Rocheleau added. “We’ll utilize the strengths of 3D printing for prototyping in assisting our customers and speeding up the timeline for turning their concepts into real products.”
CCAT President and CEO Ron Angelo lauded PTA for its ability to adapt to the ever-changing technological landscape.
“PTA Plastics has been a great leader throughout the manufacturing sector, so it was no surprise to see them selected for one of the grants,” Angelo said. “Their extensive engineering, mold-making and manufacturing capabilities give them the technical edge to utilize additive manufacturing to support fixturing and robotic tooling resulting in lower costs, reduced lead-time and scalability. PTA Plastics’ investment in additive manufacturing today will enable them to maintain their competitive advantage in the years ahead.”
PTA has come a long way since its early days founded in Bridgeport. Rocheleau credits the company’s employee-ownership model for its success.
In 2010, when former owner Ray Seeley was considering his retirement and succession plans for PTA, Rocheleau said there were several options on the table. But the option to sell the company to its own employees proved to be the most viable.
“Selling to the employees was a way to preserve the jobs in Connecticut and Colorado, reward the loyal employees that had worked to build the company, and perhaps most importantly to preserve the culture that made PTA successful,” Rocheleau said. “Our employee owners are the key to PTA’s success.”
Being employee-owned also helps PTA secure its place in the future of manufacturing.
“The plastics industry is extremely fragmented, and there has been a tremendous amount of merger and acquisition activity. … The company you work with today may be acquired or gone tomorrow,” Rocheleau said. “As an employee-owned company, we are here to stay. PTA has the resources and capabilities to work with a customer who comes to us with a napkin sketch, and take them to product realization.”
