W. Amsler Equipment Inc., Bolton, Ontario, Canada, is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a manufacturer of all-electric stretch blow molding (SBM) machinery for the plastics industry. The company founded by Swiss-born Werner Amsler, a 49-year veteran of the plastic industry, has grown from humble beginnings to its current position as a strategic global supplier of blow molding machinery for the production of plastic containers. The company serves a broad client list in the personal care, household cleaning, pharmaceutical, beverage and food packaging markets.
Amsler emigrated to the US in the 1960s and started his plastics career in 1970 as a mold maker with the former Premier Plastics in Toronto and later worked for Bekum Plastics Machinery. He established the blow molding company Swissplas Ltd. which was sold to Monarch Plastics in 1987. W. Amsler Enterprises Inc. was started in 1990, offering technical consulting and R&D.
In 1994, Amsler started W. Amsler Equipment in Concord, Ontario, to focus on fully-electric machines instead of standard hydraulic presses. Operations were later transferred to Richmond Hill in May 1999. The company has spent the last 25 years pushing the boundaries of stretch blow molding technology. The trademarks of Amsler machinery are highly repeatable processing, energy savings up to 50% versus hydraulics and a 75% reduction in maintenance costs. One of Amsler’s primary beliefs is that company owners should be able to sleep at night while their machines keep running efficiently.
“Our success has been built by the many great employees whose steady focus on innovation have lifted our company to new heights in terms of productivity, quality and growth,” said Amsler. “Our simple formula has been to stay ahead of the curve in terms of technology, and meeting the needs of our customers in terms of quality, productivity and sustainability.”
The company has machines in 18 countries and the product line includes machines with one to six cavities between 50ml and 23 liters. The product line also includes linear machines with output to 10,000 bottles/hr and rotary equipment for up to 40,000 bottles/hr. W. Amsler’s first all-electric L22 model machine, built in 1996, is still running today. Other technology achievements include the 2002 launch of the L16 single-cavity with 6L capacity and the 2010 introduction of the L32 convertible machine with adjustable cavitation for different bottle sizes. At NPE 2018, the company launched its next-generation L42X all-electric reheat machine with preferential heating, neck orientation and hot-fill capabilities.
In August 2018, W. Amsler relocated its operations from Richmond Hill to an expanded site in Bolton. The company’s new 34,000 sq. ft. of space more than doubled the company’s previous facility and came in response to rapid growth over the last five years. The new location provides more room for machine development, pilot production and classroom-style training.
W. Amsler was honored for its technology achievements with the 2010 Plastics Innovator Award from the Canadian Plastics Industry Association. Today at 74, Amsler plays an active role as President while directing application work and machine development projects. He is joined by four other family members in running the company. His wife Eunice is special projects manager and his daughter Heidi is sales and marketing manager. Son Jason serves as service manager and son-in-law Greg Doeler is buyer and purchasing manager.
For more information, visit www.amslerequipment.net.
