Essentra Components Celebrates 50 Years of Manufacturing Excellence

 

Essentra Components has come a long way from its days as a local three-man shop. In 1968, those three men formed their own business, dubbed Alliance Plastics. The company became a leader in the production of injection molded and dip molded plastics for the automotive, heavy equipment and oil & gas industries.

In 1987, Alliance Plastics was acquired by the UK conglomerate, Bunzl, and over the course of the next 27 years, grew significantly through acquisitions and expansion of its distribution sites, spread throughout the US, Canada and Brazil.

In 2013, Alliance Plastics went through a major rebranding exercise intended to underscore the increased diversity of its product portfolio and customer base. Alliance Plastics became Essentra Components, a global provider of essential components and solutions.

In 2018, Essentra Components celebrates 50 Years of Manufacturing Excellence in the Erie area. Through many years of acquisitions, mergers and changes, one thing remains constant: Essentra is committed to advancing its manufacturing capabilities in Pennsylvania.

Products & Capabilities

Essentra Components offers a wide range of products like caps, plugs, and other protection and finishing products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across a variety of industries.

The primary plastics manufacturing plant is located in an 80,000 square foot facility on Station Road. Operations include injection molding, die cutting, tool repair and storage along with administrative business offices. Essentra Components also has an 80,000 square foot warehousing facility located on McClelland Avenue which houses shipping and receiving departments along with dip molding operations.

With more than 75 injection molding machines, plus dip molding and secondary operations, Essentra Components produces over 3 million parts per day.

Why Customers Choose Essentra Components

Building on 50 years of specialized manufacturing expertise, custom design experience, and global network capabilities, Essentra Components delivers value to customers with a foundation of technical knowledge. Advanced product development and manufacturing experience combine with a logistics infrastructure to offer customers thousands of off-the-shelf products or custom solutions to meet their needs.

In 2017, Essentra began transitioning to state-of-the-art, all-electric machines. New technology will improve safety and ergonomics for employees, as well as reduce the emissions footprint for the environment. Significant investment in information technology, machinery, tooling, and facilities as well as enhanced commitment to health and safety drive ongoing improvements and help to preserve the longstanding legacy of plastics manufacturing in the area.

Manufacturing Excellence

Essentra Components strives for excellence in all operations. The most important asset of the business is its dedicated and experienced workforce. Employees are encouraged to help create an environment which fosters engagement, pride and ownership. Essentra employs more than 200 people in Erie and plans to continue growing that number in the coming years.

The company is also committed to creating strong partnerships in the community and to supporting education. Essentra offers learning and hands-on opportunities to local students in order to grow the next wave of manufacturing excellence in Erie and beyond.