Sterling looks beyond 250% growth
Michael Gravelle, Sterling's director business development
Sterling Manufacturing is a vertically integrated, injection molding solutions maker serving the healthcare, aviation, defense and commercial industries. Sterling supports the entire plastics manufacturing product lifecycle with rapid prototyping, tool development, validation, production molding and automated secondary operations. Based in Lancaster, Sterling has had 250-percent growth in the last five years.
Michael Gravelle, Sterling’s director business development, spoke with the Worcester Business Journal about Sterling’s recent plant expansion, the drivers behind the company’s dramatic growth, staying ahead of the advancing technology curve in the plastics injection molding industry, and how the firm supports its growth by recruiting for new employees in a competitive environment.
What industries does Sterling serve?
Sterling’s core competencies include precision injection molding and value-add decorating and assembly. Our partners are leading OEMs in the healthcare/biotech, defense, aviation and consumer product industries. We’ve seen expansion across all markets, but the most concentrated growth has been in the healthcare/biotech arena. About 50 percent of our programs fall into this category.
How do you service your customers?
The critical nature of medical products requires control and repeatability. Intelligent investment in state-of-the-art molding, value-add and metrology equipment is one way to ensure continuous improvement, consistency and control. As a privately-owned company with a small group of decision makers, we’re able to make long-term investments that support our customers’ programs and create long-term partnerships that help advance our goal of organic growth. We just completed a very significant expansion that included doubling the footprint of our ISO Class 8 cleanroom, adding decorating equipment to the cleanroom and bringing in seven brand new Engel injection molding machines to accommodate new programs.
What are some of your products?
Medical: CPAP masks for people suffering from sleep apnea, implantable anchors used for ligament reattachment and wound closure devices
Bioscience: Cell culture plate assemblies for cellular metabolism analysis devices used in cancer and immune system disorder research
Aviation/aersospace: We manufacture, among other things, the iconic green pilot [radio] headsets seen in many movies/TV shows.
Military: We can’t be too specific due but we manufacture various products used by the Army and Marine Corps, which built with proprietary materials to increase durability, comfort and range of motion for soldiers.
What sets your products apart?
On-time delivery, consistent quality and competitive pricing are expected by all leading OEMs. It’s what you’re able to provide beyond this that sets you apart. We like to say our specialty is accelerating our customers’ success. Essentially, we help them get more robust products to market faster.
We accomplish this primarily with a staff of incredibly talented, experienced engineers and program managers. We partner with OEMs early in the product lifecycle during R&D and development. We work with our partners to optimize product design for efficient manufacturing output, resulting in decreased time to market. It’s exciting to be involved in the commercialization of new products, and customers rely on us for our responsiveness and flexibility.
How does technological developments impact your company?
We’re in an industry where technology is advancing at an incredible rate, and 3D printing and rapid prototyping technologies are currently at the forefront. One of our advantages is being a flexible, privately-held company with the ability to invest in our future. Whereas larger manufacturers are forced to be more reactive and often view these technologies as disruptive, we’ve chosen to embrace this emerging technology and use it to support our core operations.
Over the last five years, we’ve turned over 90 percent of our injection molding machines, replacing them with state-of-the art low emission Engel molding machines with eco-drive technology renowned for their precision, control and efficiency. This can decrease cycle times, reduce overhead and improve process control which eliminates part cost and improves quality.
How do you recruit new employees, and what positions are you currently hiring for?
We’re always looking for good employees with experience in medical or healthcare manufacturing. We have an almost constant need for skilled operators, and we currently have a partnership with a trusted staffing agency that helps us vet candidates for full time employment. As we grow and new positions open up in other areas such as quality, engineering or program management, we’re open to a number of different recruitment channels to find the right candidates. Sterling’s people are by far the company’s most valuable asset, and we want to ensure that every addition to the Sterling team identifies with our culture and feels right at home.
Is the firm making any big investments, or looking to expand into any specific markets?
In addition to expanding the cleanroom and adding new equipment and personnel, we’re always looking at emerging technologies. Anything that allows us to offer our customers a more complete solution is something we’ll look to integrate. Right now we’re spending a good deal of time looking into the latest prototype technologies. Solutions that help our partners get their products to market faster are important to us, and prototype technologies allow them to go through market studies, clinical trials and tests quickly and efficiently.
How do international sales and operations fit into your business mix?
The majority of our customers have a significant international presence, and we have to meet the needs of global downstream supply chains. We utilize an industry-leading software system with real-time inventory visibility to ensure maximized control. We work with each individual customer, contract manufacturer and fulfillment house to determine the best way to meet their needs including Kanban and JIT systems. We currently export to dozens of countries across the globe.
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