State of Vermont, KeyBank, and VT Business Magazine Honor Leading Contract Manufacturer with $80K Grants and Award for Company Growth
August 17, 2018
Bethel, VT – Global plastic and silicone injection molder and contract manufacturer GW Plastics is proud to announce that it has won the 2018 Vermont Business Growth Award and two workforce development training grants.
The Vermont Business Growth Award is presented annually by Vermont Business Magazine and KeyBank to the top Vermont businesses that have experienced the greatest growth over the past five years. GW Plastics was recognized for its impressive 52.4% growth over five years. Formerly known as the 5x5x5 Growth Awards, the Vermont Business Growth Award was founded over 15 years ago, and GW Plastics is proud to be a first-time recipient.
Over the past five years, GW Plastics has grown in almost every area of its business. With major expansions of its Vermont, Arizona, Texas, and China facilities and last year’s purchase of Irish moldmaking company Avenue Mould Solutions, GW Plastics has grown to a combined 500,000 square feet of environmentally-controlled, advanced manufacturing space and currently offers complete contract manufacturing services on three continents.
In addition to the Vermont Business Growth Award, GW Plastics was also recently awarded two grants of more than $80,000 by the Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development’s Department of Economic Development. The Vermont Training Program (VTP) grants will be allocated towards two distinct educational initiatives at GW Plastics.
The first grant of $63,750 will support GW Plastics’ process engineering training for new employees, apprenticeship training for molders, and the GW Plastics Manufacturing Technology Leadership Program. This grant will enhance employees’ technical performance and broaden understanding of manufacturing, business, and leadership skills.
The Manufacturing Technology Leadership Program (MTLP) was founded in 2012 to address the skilled labor shortage, and together in partnership with Vermont Technical College, GW Plastics offers this four-year program to talented associates to support their career aspirations and the company’s technical needs. While working full-time at GW, participants enroll in two manufacturing, engineering, or technology classes per year, culminating in a final project that is selected based on improvements needed in their areas of responsibility at GW. Graduates of the MTLP earn credits that can be applied toward an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science in Engineering Technology. In addition to receiving college courses funded by GW, every graduate is awarded a bonus after each class and an increase in their compensation upon program graduation.
The second grant of $16,594 will support GW Plastics’ School of Tech, a program for high school students that exposes them to advanced manufacturing through a semester-long, for-credit course. Students are bused to GW Plastics’ state-of-the-art facilities and instructed by tooling, automation, and molding professionals to explore how advanced manufacturing fits into local and global economies and how careers in advanced manufacturing can be rewarding. Students learn about the entire manufacturing process, including product design, material selection, mold design, moldmaking, injection molding, and quality. Together with the Bethel, Royalton, and Randolph school districts, GW Plastics has graduated over 50 students.
“The primary charge of the Vermont Training Program is to support performance-based training efforts statewide,” said Vermont Governor Phil Scott. “Dollars invested with this strong and growing manufacturer are an example of Vermont’s commitment to workforce development, which is so important to our work to strengthen our workforce and create more opportunity for all Vermonters.”
“GW Plastics, an advanced contract manufacturer supplying to Fortune 500® companies around the world, depends on a skilled team to continue to meet our customers’ demanding requirements,” said Brenan Riehl, GW Plastics President and CEO. “These funds, awarded by the Vermont Training Program, will help develop our emerging leaders and technical staff in achieving their potential and propelling GW Plastics towards a strong future creating rewarding careers and jobs in Vermont.”
Educating their associates and bringing awareness to their communities is not new at GW Plastics. The company recently expanded their Process Development & Training Center to serve as the educational hub of the company. GW Plastics offers RJG scientific injection molding courses and certification to employees and customers, such as Injection Molding Essentials, Systematic Molding, and Decoupled Molding. GW welcomes their customers to these classes to improve their injection molding and tooling knowledge, and to serve as a collaboration and troubleshooting location. GW Plastics also offers a combination scholarship-internship program with Vermont Tech, as well as formal apprenticeships in molding, automation, and tooling. The goal is to expand their educational programs to all GW Plastics facilities.
About GW Plastics:
Founded in 1955, GW Plastics has earned a reputation as an industry leader in precision tooling, injection molding, and contract manufacturing serving the world’s most successful companies in the healthcare, automotive safety-critical, and consumer/industrial markets. Specializing in complex injection molded thermoplastic and silicone solutions, GW Plastics excels at close tolerance mold building, precision injection molding, and contract manufacturing. With leading-edge technologies, a Six Sigma quality commitment, and a relentless pursuit of innovation, GW Plastics continues to attract and partner with market leaders who seek consistency of ownership, financial stability, professional leadership, business integrity, a high-tech standardized global manufacturing platform, and a highly-trained and experienced workforce. Headquartered in Bethel, Vermont, the company’s standardized ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO/TS 16949, and FDA-registered, 21 CFR Part 820 compliant manufacturing facilities are located in Bethel and Royalton, Vermont; San Antonio, Texas; Tucson, Arizona; Querétaro, Mexico; Dongguan, China; and Sligo, Ireland. GW is a Plastics News’ Processor of the Year and Sustained Excellence award winner.
Global market-leading OEMs trust GW Plastics to deliver their most challenging projects. For more information, please visit their website at www.GWPlastics.com.
Contact: Rebecca Murphy
Corporate Marketing Specialist
239 Pleasant Street
Bethel, VT 05032
+1 (802) 234-9941
[email protected]
