“We have two new plants and lots of room to grow. We’re looking to take market share through internal growth, but we’re also looking for acquisition candidates,” states Bob Kaminski, thermoplastics industry manager for Penn Color,

The new $9 million plant in Milton Wisconsin employs 15-20 people and operates six extrusion lines. The site can be expanded to at least 150,000 square feet and was in full production by July, according to Kaminski. “We plan to double the number of employees over the next four years.”

The Venray, Netherlands site which produces Penn Color’s water based ink and coating products, was expanded to roughly 70,000 square feet to include the manufacture of thermoplastic color masterbatches. The site will produce color masterbatches that are sold to companies in the plastic industry, which primarily manufacture packaging for consumer food, household chemicals, medical, and personal care. This expansion was completed in February.

Penn Color has invested both time and resources into becoming a more earth-friendly company by developing initiatives that have resulted in a number of reductions in energy use and waste disposal.
Both new plants have been designed with an emphasis on energy conservation – preserving and protecting our natural resources.

In the Netherlands plant, residual heat generated during the extrusion process is being captured and reused. Normally, as the water in the cooling baths heats up, energy is spent to circulate this water through a heat exchanger in order to cool it back down.  In the new plant, this hot water is circulated through the floor to provide heating for the offices and laboratory.

“The Milton plant was designed to have energy efficient lighting with motion controls in the warehouse, to compliment the natural lighting from the windows that are installed along the east and west sides of the building,” said Tom Cramer, General Manager for Penn Color. Cramer further stated, “The equipment for production and the laboratories are all new and the latest energy efficient models available”.

Penn Color is a privately held company with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Europe, India and sales offices in Asia. The company has 600 employees worldwide with corporate headquarters located in Doylestown, PA.