Press release submitted on behalf of Bay Plastics.
8,000-square-foot facility expands U.S. manufacturing capacity, supports plastics recycling and invests in the next generation of skilled workers
Bay Plastics Machinery celebrated the grand opening of its new 8,000-square-foot Tech Center in Bay City on Oct. 21, expanding the company’s manufacturing and service capabilities while creating additional space for equipment testing and workforce training.
Located at 3515 N. Euclid Ave., the Tech Center expands the company’s capacity to manufacture and refurbish pelletizers and other equipment used in plastics compounding and recycling. It also provides space for equipment testing and hands-on training for employees, customers and industry partners.
Planned over the past two years, the facility reflects the increased demand Bay Plastics has experienced for its pelletizers, equipment maintenance, repair and spare parts services. Over the past year, Bay Plastics has added approximately five employees, including two in its service department, bringing its workforce to 55.
“We’re proud to support U.S. manufacturers and recyclers,” Jason Forgash, president and CEO of Bay Plastics, said before the grand opening began. “Over the past year, we’ve expanded our mobile service capabilities, with team members serving customers across the Midwest and Southeast by picking up equipment, making repairs and returning components to customers’ plants. As demand for these services and our pelletizers increases, we needed more space.”
Investing in Workforce Development
About 150 people attended the grand opening, including company leaders, customers, industry representatives, and training partners. Featured speakers included state Rep. Jay DeBoyer; Joshua Little, director of the Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center (BAISD); Matt Seaholm, president of the Plastics Industry Association; and Annina Donaldson, director of business development at Maxi-Blast, a Bay Plastics Machinery customer headquartered in Florida.
DeBoyer, Little and Seaholm recognized Bay Plastics Machinery’s contributions to Michigan manufacturing and its support for internships, career and technical education, and community organizations and events, including the Hell’s Half Mile Film & Music Festival.
“This isn’t just about Bay Plastics. It’s about community,” DeBoyer said. “It’s about sponsoring Little League baseball teams. It’s about supporting employees, helping them have good jobs, stay in their community, raise their families, and allow their children to go to public schools here.”
Little highlighted Bay Plastics Machinery’s role in workforce development. Over the years, several students have transitioned into jobs with the company, demonstrating how partnerships with career and technical education programs can create pathways into manufacturing careers.
“Your partnership with Career and Technical Education and the staff at BAISD helps turn classroom preparation into career opportunities,” Little said.
The Tech Center features a complete strand pelletizing line, which operated throughout the grand-opening event to showcase the company’s technology and capabilities.
Seaholm emphasized the importance of investing in technical training and creating opportunities for customers and employees to develop skills and share knowledge.
“There’s no doubt that this is a team that cares about the future of the industry. Moving it forward, creating a place like this for customers and employees to develop those skills and share knowledge, is really what the industry, and I would say all manufacturing sectors, should be doing,” he said.
Expanding Manufacturing and Customer Service
The new building will support further growth in Bay Plastics Machinery’s feed-roll and rotor repair and manufacturing business, located next door to the Tech Center.
Donaldson said the company’s approach to customer service reflects its roots as a family business. Her father, who founded Maxi-Blast, worked with Bay Plastics Machinery in its early years; now, she and her brother do the same.
That longstanding relationship has served Maxi-Blast well, she said.
“Watching them grow over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how committed they are—not to just building exceptional equipment, but to building exceptional teams. … For a company like mine, having Bay Plastics as a supplier is a source of confidence. We know we can rely on the machinery to keep our operations running, because behind the machinery is a team of well-trained, passionate individuals who care about quality as much as Maxi-Blast does,” she said.
A Family Business Rooted in Bay City
The company that eventually became Bay Plastics Machinery started in 1961, when Jason Forgash’s grandfather, Tony Forgash Sr., established JETRO. Jason Forgash said the company’s future depends on its employees and the next generation of manufacturing professionals.
“The future of Bay Plastics isn’t dependent on our family alone. It’s dependent on the people who come through these doors every day, the machinists, the welders, the engineers, our assembly team, our service technicians, the people in sales, purchasing, accounting and administration, the people who have spent decades here, and the young people who are just beginning their careers. That’s why this center is so important. We don’t just want to hire people; we want to develop them. We want to give our employees the opportunity to learn new technology, new skills, and take on new challenges. We want young people to walk through these doors and see that manufacturing isn’t what they may have imagined it to be. Manufacturing today is technology. It’s engineering, it’s automation, it’s problem solving, and it’s innovation, and it’s still about making something.”
About Bay Plastics Machinery
A pioneer in the manufacture, sale and maintenance of pelletizing technology, Bay Plastics Machinery has been serving customers for more than 60 years. With four generations of family involvement, the company offers a complete line of pelletizers and plastics processing equipment, including strand pelletizers, conveyors, water baths, air knives and strand dewatering units, as well as spare parts. Bay Plastics Machinery also provides rotor sharpening, equipment rebuilds and repairs, technical support, and testing services.