By: Jennifer Baum

PTI Engineered Plastics, located in Macomb, Michigan, is a custom injection molder and manufacturer of plastic components and assemblies that services the medical, automotive, defense/aerospace, consumer products and electronics industries.

PTI is a good example of a manufacturer that understood the need to diversify. In 2008-2010 when the auto industry collapsed, PTI was able to make swift, strategic shifts due to its vast capabilities, and thus was able to ride out the economic storm. Cheryl Kaiser, sales & marketing CSR for PTI notes that the facility is adaptable to industry swings because of continual research into the latest technology, as well as maintaining a forward-thinking team.

As a diverse supplier, PTI’s growth pattern coincides with the market climate of that industry. For example, an ageing population is currently one of the elements driving growth in the medical device sector, and globally, the automotive industry has recovered from their economic crisis, thus, both are in a growth cycle.

PTI makes plastic parts that impact an average consumer daily. One example is a unit that a firefighter wears, comprised of 28 plastic components. This is a good example of the nature of advanced material the company is working with – this particular grade of plastic is almost equivalent to steel and can function at a high temperature.

Other products that PTI makes that may impact a consumer’s daily life includes various automotive components, including knobs, turn signals, and airbag and seatbelt components, as well as a lot of the plastic components you might see if you’re in a hospital room.

In terms of drawing the attention of the rest of the country, John Budreau, director of new business development for PTI Engineered Plastics, has noticed that companies out of state recognize Macomb County’s expertise in designing and getting a product to market and have a real need for PTI’s overall prowess in how to go about manufacturing a plastic part. Budreau notes this is especially true in the medical industry. PTI has a deep understanding of how to get a part to market quickly and effectively and allows a company to work with PTI from concept design to manufacturing the finished product.

Over the past decade, PTI has grown jobs by nearly 50% and today has a technical staff of about 280 employees over several different departments, ranging from engineering to manufacturing and more.

While all services, from design through manufacturing, are completed at PTI’s 155,000 sq. ft. facility in Macomb, Michigan, the company still has an extensive global reach, with customers in Ireland, Mexico, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Puerto Rico, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland , Turkey, Thailand and the UK.

PTI is looking to train the next generation of workers through its PTI Technical Academy. Because there is a shortage of skilled labor in manufacturing, the academy was developed to strengthen the region’s workforce and industry. PTI’s CEO Mark Rathbone wanted to create a pathway for students that had a passion for creation and expose them to the high-tech, innovative world that manufacturing is today.