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-- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, July 12, 1978 Whitaker Plastics compete with the best In the plastic mould injec- tion business, the name of the game is keeping ahead of the competition. There are over 100 injec- tion moulders across Can- ada, and one of them, Whita- ker Plastics, has been in operation in Scugog Town- ship for the past five years. In an interview with the Port Perry Star last week, plant owner Earl Whitaker said that the highly competi- tive nature of the business demands that the company not only offer its customers a realistic per unit price, but also provide good quality and service, and guarantee that production schedules are met so that a customer gets his products on time. The Whitaker plant on the Shirley Road south of Port Perry turns out as many as 60 different plastic products: everything from casters, to skate guards, spoons for the Dairy Queens, swing and teetor-totter seats for in- fants, boat steering wheels, and caps for liquor bottles. Mr. Whitaker says that business so far this year has been excellent, with five large injection machines running literally 24 hours a day. The moulds which turn out the variety of different products are interchange- able, and these are usually supplied by the Sompany that is using the finished product. These five machines, which are worth over $100, 000 each, will push about 1 million pounds of plastic pellets into the various types of moulds in one year, and the company has two trucks on the road shipping the finished products to cus- tomers in southern Ontario. THE START The plastics moulding business started in 1973 as a division of Ray Whitaker and Sons Machine Shop, when Valerie Beford workin the company was asked to manufacture plastic seat belt covers for Ford Motors. The company purchased a second-hand injection mach- ine that year and did about $200,000 worth of business. That figure has grown sub- stantially in the past five years to the point where sales this year are expected to be over $800,000, and Mr. Whitaker says that the com- pany should top the $1 mil- lion mark in 1979. It hasn't all been a smooth road upwards, however, as the company experienced what Mr. Whitaker describes as a "drastic" period during 1974-75. He says it was caused partially by the slow- down in general of the Cana- dian economy, and specifi- cally by a softening of de- mand for plastic products of all kinds. To meet the demand for orders in 1978, Whitaker now has more than 40-full-time employees, with two 12-hour shifts, keeping the produc- tion moving 24 hours a day. Since January, employees have been working the 12- hour shifts, three days on and then thrée days off, and this arrangement seems to suit most of them. WHITAKER PLASTICS CUSTOM as Whitaker Plastics owner Earl Whitaker in front of the Shirley MOULDERS - t Road plant which turns out more than 50 different products. moulding machines. g at one of the injection It is also an advantageous arrangement for the com- pany, as it means that no time is lost in turning the big machines on and off, or waiting for them to heat up to the temperatures neces- sary to liquify the plastic pellets. Commenting on the "ru- ral" location of the plant, Mr. Whitaker says it has both advantages and disad- vantages. On the plus side the company has its own water supply and since as much as 5000 gallons per day are used as coolant for the machines there is a consider- able saving on the cost of water from a municipal sys- tem. On the other hand, insurance premiums are higher for buildings and equipment because the loca- tion is considered "unprotec- ted." Since the raw plastic is brought in by truck and the finished product shipped the same way, there is easy access by road to Highway 401. The company employs a full-time sales manager, Rudy Muehlhans, who has many years technical exper- ience in the plastics indus- try. He is onthe road several days a week meeting with customers, and looking for new ones, and he says his technical background is very important for bringing in new business. While business is up this year (June was the highest month ever for company sales) and the future looks bright in 1979, the industry can be unpredictable, and Mr. Whitaker says that when a company agrees to have a specific plastic product manufactured by Whitaker, there is seldom long con- tracts or guarantees. Companies are always looking for somebody who can turn out the products for a cheaper per unit price, and at the same time assure that production deadlines are met. However, large com- panies prefer to deal with one moulder, and if the moulder does a satisfactory job with one product, he often ends up getting almost all the orders for other plas- tic products. At present Whitaker is getting ready for a produc- tion test run on a piece of plastic plumbing used for marine toilets, and it could mean a substantial amount of business for the company if the test runs work out well. 8 NEW PRODUCT Not content simply to manufacture products for other people, Mr. Whitaker says the company is now about to start marketing a unique product of its own called the ""'Can't Twist." It is a small piece of clear, flat plastic, which when attached just above the leader keeps fishing line from twisting and tangling. : Whitaker has a Canadian patent on the product, is applying for the same thing in the United States, and hopes to have it on the market in time for next year's fishing season. by John B. McClelland IY Dia, These young girls are pre crates for plastic counter dis products. paring the shipping play stands for Bic - » 3