ABOUT US
As a packaging company and one of the largest custom thermoformers in North America, Plastic Ingenuity provides unparalleled customer service and satisfaction. PI leads the nation in innovative packaging solutions that encompass every stage of packaging design and manufacturing, from initial proposals to the finished product. PI provides a wide range of thermoforming, tooling, extrusion, and design services, and PI also maintains strict controls over the process from start to finish to ensure faster response times and superior results.
Green Technologies
Our commitment to the environment is evident in the corporate initiatives undertaken by Plastic Ingenuity. PI participates in Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources Green Tier program and works to reduce our environmental footprint through various manufacturing initiatives. Standing head and shoulders above other plastic packaging companies , Plastic Ingenuity is proud of our environmental record during our nearly forty years of business, and we look forward to helping create new and innovative packaging solutions and green technologies.
Working to Serve Our Customers Better
As a member of the Thermoforming Institute, it is our goal to work with other like-minded thermoforming packaging companies to envision and create new techniques and processes to improve our services for our extensive and varied customer base. This commitment to customer satisfaction has made us an industry leader among product packaging companies in innovative packaging solutions throughout the marketplace, from uniquely appealing retail designs to chemically inert pharmaceutical packaging solutions. Plastic Ingenuity aims to be the sole-source plastic packaging company for all our customers’ various needs.
GREEN TECHNOLOGIES: PLASTIC INGENUITY LEADS THE WAY
Green technologies are at the forefront of many manufacturing processes today.
The founder of Plastic Ingenuity, Joe Kuehn, encapsulated this philosophy when he said in the original PI Mission Statement: “We will be ever mindful of our natural environment.” For 39 years, Plastic Ingenuity has been dedicated to providing the highest quality packaging solutions to our customers while maintaining a respectful and responsible attitude toward the environment.
GREEN TECHNOLOGIES
At Plastic Ingenuity, we demonstrate our commitment to green packaging solutions in a number of ways.
First, our own manufacturing processes are constantly evaluated and monitored in order to minimize environmental impact from these ongoing operations. Our corporate headquarters in Wisconsin borders on Black Earth Creek, a Class I trout stream and a beautiful and unspoiled natural waterway. Plastic Ingenuity has taken steps to protect this precious natural resource from contamination by installing a number of protective barriers, including runoff filters, grassed swales, and rain gardens. A rock weeper dam installation allows clean water to cool before it reaches the stream, protecting the flora and fauna from potentially damaging temperature shifts. PI participates in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Green Tier program.
RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CONSERVATION
Solar panels provide cheap renewable energy and produce no pollution, reducing the overall carbon footprint.
We currently boast fifty 200-watt photovoltaic solar panels. Additionally, we’ve replaced all HD and T12 lighting fixtures with T8 equivalents in order to further conserve energy. This lighting fixture change reduced the overall lighting costs throughout the company by 66%. Our company’s goal is to reduce its use of electricity from non-renewable sources by 10% every five years; our Environmental Management System allows us to monitor our energy usage to determine whether we are meeting this goal.
WOOD PULP THERMOFORMING
Wood is a renewable resource; as a result, the research team at Plastic Ingenuity has created new thermoforming methods that incorporate wood pulp into the mixture in order to produce packaging that is primarily composed of this renewable resource.
In some cases, PI can use 100% recycled materials in order to produce environmentally-friendly packaging solutions for our customers. This packaging method can help PI’s customers meet the requirements of their own strict green policies. PI recycles almost all of the plastic scrap materials that are produced during the course of our projects.
REDISTRIBUTION OF DISSIPATIVE HEAT
The process of thermoforming produces significant heat that must be diffused in some way.
Our innovative solution to this problem was to redistribute the heat throughout the warehouse, minimizing its impact on the outside environment and providing much-needed heating during the winter months. This reduces our heating bills and ensures that our staff members are comfortable even during the coldest Wisconsin winters.
POLYLACTIC ACID AND RENEWABLE RESOURCES
In effort to improve our ability to produce environmentally friendly packaging products , PI has researched and developed new processes for corn-based polylactic acid (PLA) materials that can significantly improve PLA’s heat deflection capabilities.
As a result of our green packaging initiative, these new techniques provide even more utility for this advanced green manufacturing material. PLA products are biodegradable and offer outstanding promise for more environmentally friendly packaging techniques now and in the future. As always, Plastic Ingenuity will strive to lead the way in these advanced green technologies and processes for packaging and storage needs.