Bemis Manufacturing Company
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Injection Molding, Molded Wood |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Founder | Albert Bemis / Arthur White |
| Headquarters | Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, United States |
Key people |
Peter Bemis, President and CEO, Bemis Manufacturing Company Norm Giertz, COO/President, Proprietary Group Randy Herman, President, Advanced Technology Group |
| Website | www.bemismfg.com |
The Bemis Manufacturing Company is an American manufacturing company based in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin and is best known for its toilet seat products. Bemis also manufactures plastic lawn, commercial, and indoor furniture, suction canisters, sharps containers, fluid management systems, gas caps, gauges and various contracted extrusion and injection molded plastic parts for companies such as John Deere and Whirlpool Corporation. The company is a pioneer of co-injection molding, a process in which virgin resin is injected with scrap plastic.[1] Bemis' plastic work has won a number of awards in the SPI Structural Plastics Div. design competition, particularly with the John Deere 7000 tractor, which is believed to represent the first instance of coinjection molding "to large parts where a recycled engineering material (ABS) is used in the core".[2][3][4]
History
In 1901, Arthur White incorporated White Wagon Works in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, the precursor to Bemis that produced children's wooden wagons with a patented steering device.
In the early 1920s, Al Bemis, with partner George Riddel, bought the majority of shares of White Wagon works and by 1928, Al Bemis took controlling interest in their shared company.
In 1932, Bemis started producing toilet seats. By 1935, they started making seats for nearby Kohler Company.
Since then, Bemis has continued improving their molded wood toilet seat production process and has become an industry leader in plastics manufacturing for toilet seats, custom and other plastics products.[5]
Corporate Management
Bemis CEO and part-owner Peter Bemis [deceased: 10/9/2013] was inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame on June 19, 2006 for innovative techniques for co-injection and other advance molding processes. [6]
Awards
- 2012 - Bemis was among three finalists in the 16th Plastics News' Processor of the Year Award. Bemis Manufacturing was nominated by Glenn Anderson of Milacron, a supplier of a 6,600 ton, 2,100-square-foot "monster" co-injection molding machine.[7]
- 2011 - The Target shopping cart, molded by Bemis, was a finalist in the Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) [8]
- 2009 - Bemis Manufacturing won the 2009 International Plastics Design Competition Retail Award for the Target shopping cart.[9]
- 2007 - Bemis Manufacturing took top honors at the SPI 2007 Alliance of Plastics Processors Awards for a high-end clothes dryer door window.[10]
- 2006 - Bemis Manufacturing's Advance Technology Group (formally contract group) won a Judges award for the Sub Compact Utility Tractor and 9th Annual Industrial Designers Society of America/Plastics News Award for the John Deere Series 8000 Engine Enclosure.[11]
Memberships
Bemis is a part of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Business: Family Business Center. [12]
Products
Bemis Manufacturing Company is best known for its toilet seat products. Toilet seats can be found around the world under the Bemis, Church, Mayfair, Westport and Olsonite brands. While Olsonite is found primarily in wholesale markets, Mayfair and Westport are found in retail stores such as Ace Hardware, Bed Bath & Beyond, Meijer and Do-It Best. Bemis and Church branded seats can be found in both wholesale markets and in retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe's and home improvement retailers in the UK including Homebase. Bemis also produces bathroom accessories in Europe under the Carrara & Matta brand.
Bemis produces custom plastics products for customers in a variety of industries. Some industries include commercial furniture, agricultural equipment, appliances, yard care, retail facility and industrial products. Using technologies such as co-injection molding and extrusion, Bemis works with business partners to design and produce their products.
Since 1971, Bemis has produced various health care products to help health care professionals dispose of medical wastes. These products include sharps containers, suction canisters and liners, and a draining system for safe liquid management.
Other products include plastic fuel caps, gauges and tank accessories, produced under the Kelch brand.
References
- ↑ Bregar, Bill. (June 19, 2006). Bemis emphasizes value of continuous reinvention Plastic News. Accessed October 26, 2007.
- ↑ Knights, Mikell. (June 2004) Structural plastics exploring ways to make molds & parts faster Plastics Technology Online. Accessed October 26, 2007.
- ↑ Plastic industry honors innovative parts Archived December 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.. MachineDesign.com (May 6, 2004). Accessed October 26, 2007.
- ↑ Custom Plastic Extrusion. lakelandplastics.com. Accessed September 15, 2015.
- ↑ Bemis, Richard A. (July 2001). Be Seated by Bemis. Times Printing Co. Inc. pp. 3–14. ISBN 0-9711791-0-7.
- ↑ SPI: Southern Region
- ↑ Milacron’s big move: As customers rebound, relationships pay off
- ↑ Finalist in the Industrial Design Excellence Awards
- ↑ 2009 International Plastics Design Competition Retail Award Archived May 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ SPI 2007 Alliance of Plastics Processors Awards Archived August 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ SPI 2006 Alliance of Plastics Processors Awards Archived August 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Family Business Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Members, Bemis Manufacturing Co