Partners In Plastics, Inc. history

In 1863, so the story goes, a New York billiards supplier ran a newspaper ad offering "a handsome fortune," ten thousand dollars in gold, to anyone who could come up with a suitable alternative for ivory.

The first polymer was invented in 1869 by John Wesley Hyatt, who was inspired by a challenge to create a substitute for ivory in the billiards industry because so many elephants were being killed.

Then in 1907, Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, the first fully synthetic plastic that was used in electrical insulators, radio and telephone casings, kitchenware, jewelry, pipe stems, children’s toys, and firearms.

The year after, in 1908, the Swiss chemist J. Branderberger made the first flexible, perfectly transparent material: cellophane.

So it was in 1926 that Waldo Semon, in partnership with the company B.F. Goodrich, developed a method for plasticizing PVC by mixing it with additives.

Polyethylene (PE) was created in England in 1933 and was a closely held state secret, as the lightweight plastic was used to insulate radar cabling, sufficiently lightening them to be placed on airplanes and giving Britain’s planes a significant advantage against the Germans’.

1939: IPL is founded as a small manufacturer of household items

The “melamine-formol, MF” (Formica)plastics discovered in 1941 invaded kitchens and furniture.

In 1942, brothers Edmond and Leonard Leone opened a small machine shop in the heart of Buffalo, NY's industrial district.

1949 Comar is founded as the TST Glass Company by the Tamagni family

In June of 1950, he incorporated his company and named it Meyer Materials, Inc.

1951 TST Glass Company begins converting glass tubing for the healthcare industry

1961 Comar begins manufacturing finished vials using its own equipment

The polysulfone family of thermoplastics, introduced in 1965, were most visibly used on the gold-film visors of Apollo-era space suits.

1981 Total Packaging Concept is acquired, plastic molding capabilities introduced

In 1982 Ralph Meyer joined his father, John, in the company.

1985 Patented Neutraplex glass tubular vial improves glass vial stability

2003 New liquid dispensing syringes launched to meet the needs of the oral delivery market

Half of all plastics* have been manufactured since 2005**. And yet humans have been trying for centuries to develop materials with benefits that cannot always be found in natural materials.

2006: Acquisition of Protech Plastics establishing the Plastics Division of One51

2010 Universal Container Corp. (Unicon) of Cayey, Puerto Rico is acquired.

2011: Adoption of an action plan to transform One51 from an investment company to an operations-focused business

2013 Comar announced its successful recapitalization with Graham Partners, providing access to additional capital and resources to support expansion and broaden product development and manufacturing capabilities in North America

2014 Partnered with two other injection manufacturers in Wisconsin to form the St Croix County Manufacturing Consortium which received two Wisconsin Fast Forward workforce training grants from the state’s Department of Workforce Development.

2015 Comar invests $6MM for Rancho Cucamonga plant expansion and receives ISO Certification

2016: Acquisition of Encore Plastics expanding its Large Format and Environmental Solutions capacity

2017 The ID Center is built in Buena, NJ and IDworks® is formally launched.

2018 Comar acquires West Bend Plastics, Inc & West Bend Containers, Inc.

2020: Madison Dearborn Partners acquires IPL & delist from TSX

2021: Acquisition of Bright Green Plastics, a manufacturer of recycled resin (PP and HDPE).