Westec Plastics is celebrating another year in business! While the world around us has presented unparalleled times, we are happy to commemorate our anniversary and review the tremendous growth that is taking place. As we enter into our 51st year of business, we wanted to take a minute to reflect on the past year and look back at our beginnings.
A Look Back at our Milestone Anniversary
What a year it has been! While this past year will certainly be remembered for the changes required to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are still proud of all the updates our brand saw over the year. One year ago, Westec Plastics celebrated our 50th anniversary. We celebrated with a Westec-family picnic where we enjoyed games, food, and the pleasure of our co-workers. We refreshed our logo and rolled out a new website. The new brand identity was completed to better embody the evolution of Westec. Our brand refresh was highlighted by our new logo, which signifies the partnership that we strive for with our customers and represents the handshake of two companies working together towards the same goal. While handshakes may no longer be encouraged, we want to remind our customers that when they work with us, it is a true partnership. This partnership is defined by our motto, Your Concept, Our Expertise, One Partnership.
Remembering Our Beginnings
With every anniversary that we have, we want to take time to remember just how far we have come. In 1969, our founder Paul Biery started Westec Plastics with his wife, Karen. Paul, a tool maker by trade, had recently returned from Vietnam and purchased a small tool shop. He quickly discovered the need to be able to sample his tools in-house, starting the search to find Machine #1.
Most people would assume that this search would start with a machine vendor or at an auction house. However, that’s not where Biery went to find his first machine. Instead, he purchased our first machine out of a farmer’s barn in Gilroy, California. At that time, the machine was being used to make cow ear tags and martini stick stirrers. Biery loaded this machine and several other pieces of equipment, all purchased for $2,000, into his severely overloaded pick-up truck and thus, Westec Plastics’ injection molding services were born. Over the next 10 years, Machine #1 worked diligently for us, molding millions of quality parts with many difficult resins, before being officially retired in 1979.
Our 1957 Van Dorn injection molding machine is one of the finest examples of an early injection molding machine in existence today. Machine #1 has been kept and preserved by Westec and is proudly displayed in our conference room to remind us of our humble roots. While Machine #1 is still functional, the days of computerized controls have made the venerable Machine #1 too inefficient to compete with today’s modern workhorses.
Original Bridgeport Machining Center
Early Westec Plastics Corp Injection Molding Machine Workshop, cir. 1969
How Our History Shaped Our Culture
At Westec, our modest beginning has helped to build a culture that revolves around having a strong “Can-Do” spirit. Over the years, we have been challenged and have had to “Find a Way or Make a Way” on a number of cases to successfully deliver solutions for our customers.
Having this mentality in our culture has helped to always think like problem solvers and look for ways to improve. This is particularly important today, as we all struggle to adjust to all the “new normal” processes and procedures in an uncertain economy. Despite these changes, Westec continues to find a way. As a company, we continue to grow with our customers to meet their needs. In a time where many companies have been forced to reduce, limit and reorganize, we are very thankful to be adding new technologies, new machines, new equipment and new team members.
Some may question why we keep our first machine in our conference room, but we do this so that every time we walk into the room, we remember:
- The importance of perseverance
- The dedication of those that helped to build this company
- The spirit of CAN-DO that made this all possible
- The hope & goals that continues to fuel our growth
- The co-workers who have become family
Here’s to Westec’s 51st year! During this time of reflection, we remember how blessed we are and remind everyone about all that we can accomplish by working together. No matter what the challenges are in the year that lies ahead, Westec’s commitment to providing exceptional service and continuing to create the highest-quality part possible at competitive prices will remain the same.
Ready to start a partnership with Westec? Contact us today!
1957 Van Dorn injection molding machine restored
First Vertical Mill for Injection Molding Parts and Tool Fabrication
