Press Release

Press release written for McKechnie Plastic Packaging by Richard Stewart

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOW MOLDER McKECHNIE HELPS COSMYL MEET HIGHER
DEMAND FOR BOTTLES WHEN BATH & BODY LINE SURGES

PHILMONT, NY -- Two things happened when the Cosmyl line
of bath and body products was introduced to an expanded global
marketplace -- sales took off like a shot and packaging demands
outgrew the supplier's ability to keep up. McKechnie Plastic
Packaging, specializing in extrusion blow-molded plastic bottles
and other containers, was selected to step in to solve the
packaging problem.
     Cosmyl, based in Coral Gables, Florida, is shipping close to two
million pieces a month of its popular 8 oz. line of lotions, gels,
foams and other personal care products in "Slim Line" PVC bottles
from McKechnie. Priced between $1 and $7.50, Cosmyl products
are sold in Sears Roebuck and Co., J.C. Penny and other
department stores, according to Jorge A. Dalmau, Cosmyl VP
Sales & Marketing.
     "Our sales today are better than we ever expected. Demand is
like we never experienced before -- more than 100 per cent growth
over last year," he says. Efforts to expand into new international
markets have paid off. "We have moved into Europe, Japan, China,
Hong Kong, and we're adding countries on a weekly basis," notes
Dalmau. Also enjoying increased sales is subsidiary USALabs,
producing bath and body products for private-label distributors.
     "We try to provide an upscale look in our packaging," says
Dalmau, "to reflect the quality of our products. The plastic bottles
we are getting from McKechnie are of high quality and priced right.
That's important, because we have to keep our pricing as
competitive as possible," he explains. "And McKechnie is able to
keep up with our demand for bottles -- which is critical to our
continued growth."
     Cosmyl's 115,000 square-foot production facilities are located
in Columbus, Georgia, where all the raw materials are blended
and compounded to produce a broad range of personal care and
beauty products. Dalmau reports that the size of the plant will be
nearly doubled, to 200,000 square-feet, by the end of next year.
     McKechnie produces the 8 oz. clear plastic bottles in its
155,000 square-foot Philmont, N.Y. plant, a state-of-the-art
facility housing 18 blow-molding machines  that can produce 15
million stock and custom cylinders a month, according to Greg
Plotts, McKechnie VP, Sales and Marketing.
     The company also offers decorating services under the same
roof, using equipment that includes two multi-station, Novax-M
high-speed UV silkscreen decorators, notes Plotts. Other decorating
capabilities include therimage, pressure-sensitive and sleeve labeling.
     "Cosmyl has a reputation for providing excellent value in high-
quality products," says Plotts, "and the containers have to reflect
that image. For that reason, none of the bottles we make for them
have die lines, inclusions or anything else that could detract from
the Cosmyl image."
     McKechnie's ability to deliver bottles in the quantities needed
was foremost in the mind of Alberto Andrial, Cosmyl Purchasing
Manager. "We started out with an order for 160,000 bottles last
December to see if they could do the job for us," he recalls. "Our
next order was for 6.3 million bottles. They are one of the best
and most reliable suppliers we have dealt with. They have the
quality we need, they are priced competitively and they deliver
on time," adds Andrial.
     McKechnie Plastic Packaging produces cylinders in PVC,
virgin polyethylene, post-consumer recycled (PCR) polyethylene
blends and co-extruded polyethylene in sizes from 2 oz. to 200 oz.
The bottles have applications in health and beauty products,
household cleaners, lawn and garden products and other
consumer specialty and industrial goods, says Plotts.
     McKechnie President Ken Janowitz encourages users of
plastic packaging to involve their manufacturer at an early stage
of product planning to take advantage of capabilities and services
that are available.
     "Our design and engineering teams work with the customer
to achieve the best design for their product," he says, noting that
the company typically designs, builds and tests the molds and
provides samples for test marketing. "We are equipped to provide
a complete packaging solution -- including design, blow molding,
decorating, warehousing and shipping the product as needed,"
adds Janowitz.
     McKechnie Plastic Packaging is a division of U.K. based
McKechnie plc, a diversified holding company with worldwide
enterprises in the plastic, metal and consumer product sectors.
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