Bixby International, a custom thermoplastic sheet extruder and laminator offering one of the broadest polymer and substrate selections in the industry, is proud of the accomplishments it made in 2017, and will build on last year's successes to achieve more in 2018.
Newly Hired Team Members Help Drive the Company Forward
Bixby experienced continued growth in its workforce in 2017, including the addition of a new vice president of operations. In September, Vice President of Operations Greg Santini joined the Bixby team at the company's headquarters in Newburyport, MA. In his new role, Greg is leading the Operations division, and he reports to Bixby's President and CEO, Dan Rocconi.
Greg brings more than 20 years of manufacturing experience to his new role, with a specific focus on continuously improving the manufacturing process as well as making all manufacturing procedures as lean and streamlined as possible. One of the primary goals in his new role will be to strengthen the team environment in the Operations division, and to drive improvements that reduce costs and minimize waste.
Bixby also hired Brad Sir in 2017 as an Account Manager covering sales for the western United States. In his new role, Brad is based in San Diego and he reports to Bixby's Chief Revenue Officer Dennis Lauzon. Brad brings more than 20 years of professional experience to his new role, in which he will manage Bixby's current business in all regions west of the Mississippi River with the goal of increasing the customer base in this territory.
Owing to its continued growth over the past 12 months, some additional manufacturing roles that Bixby is currently looking to fill include the following positions: Compounder, Operator, Process Engineer, and Stacker.
Collaboration, Expansion, and Safety Improvements
By closely collaborating with clients, several of which include Fortune 500 companies, Bixby played a key role in the development of numerous commercial client successes in 2017. Growth at Bixby also came about from its ongoing robust expansion into markets that include construction, belting, and apparel.
To improve its capabilities, the company also made capital investments in 2017 including the addition of a new Catbridge 324MC-40 winder that the Operations team expects will be fully implemented into the manufacturing process in January 2018.
Additionally, the company's focus on the safety of its employees resulted in one of Bixby's best annual safety performances in years. Bixby will continue to emphasize safety in 2018 with a goal of zero accidents throughout its facilities.
Conference Appearances
Bixby continued to expand its attendance at major industry conferences in 2017, having secured trade show booth space at a number of events including the 2017 Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) Expo in New Orleans, and the ANTEC 2017 Plastics Technology Conference in Anaheim.
The Sales team garnered numerous leads at IFAI 2017, which is North America's premier annual industrial fabrics conference as well as at ANTEC 2017, which is the largest, and most well-known technical conference in the plastics industry.
Community Outreach
In 2017, as a sponsor of Rubbish to Runway's Business Waste Challenge, Bixby expanded on its track record as a socially responsible neighbor on the North Shore of Massachusetts. In addition to sponsoring the event, Bixby provided discarded waste materials from its facility to a local designer who converted the materials into a fashionable outfit for the runway event.
The Business Waste Challenge is a showcase of discarded waste materials that have been converted into wearable fashion to raise money for the Long Way Home nonprofit organization. The event - which was held in October in Salisbury, MA, and was attended by more than 350 people - raised over $15,000 for the Long Way Home charity.
New Year Brings With It New Expectations
Bixby has set its sights on the upcoming year, and if the accomplishments of 2017 are any indication, 2018 is expected to be even more successful. To ensure that it is, Bixby will continue to make capital investments in equipment to improve its manufacturing capabilities, as well as investing in its people who are the key to the company's past and future success.
Bixby will also continue to identify new markets to leverage its current capabilities more effectively. With this year's achievements to look back upon, and next year's goals as its primary focus, Bixby International and its clients are looking forward to the New Year and all the successes that it will bring.