Specialty Defense Systems Company History

Company History (From Company Website , May 1999)


Specialty Plastic Products (the company) was founded in Dunmore, PA in 1969 as a manufacturer of specialized gift items for professional and college sports teams. Early on the company established a goal to build a reputation as a manufacturer who always met or exceeded its customers expectations. This reputation was to be built on the quality of its products, the timeliness of its deliveries, its attention to detail, and its price competitiveness. This goal has not only been attained, but it is the very reason the company is a strong and growing business thirty years later.



With work in the 1970’s emphasizing on compression molding techniques the company developed stronger and more efficient ways to mold materials, and in 1978 research and development was initiated to address the needs the United States Military for a lighter and more protective helmet for the men and women in the armed forces. This effort was rewarded with the company’s first government contract for a compression-molded liner for the M-1 helmet. By 1985 Specialty Plastic Products was a leading supplier of composite helmets which eventually replaced the military’s existing steel helmet.

The helmets the company manufactured consisted of four basic components: a sewn inner liner, ballistic shell, impact pads and a communication headset. The sewn components involved with these helmet programs led to creation of a subsidiary company initially known as Tenntec, Inc. in Maryville, TN. This operation began in a 5000 square foot building with 35 employees. This launched the company into the sewn products market, and although it represented a new challenge for the company the original creed of quality products, timeliness of deliveries, attention to detail, and competitiveness remained.



As the companies confidence in its sewing increased it began to look for new items to bid on, and soon found itself with contracts to manufacture equipage that included various backpacks, and load carrying items. As the workload increased and our reputation grew the company found itself needing to expand the sewing operations, and in 1990 an additional facility was purchased in Louisville, TN. The name of the sewing operations also changed during this time from Tenntec to Specialty Plastic Products of TN. This plant which totals 15,000 square feet enabled the company to expand its cutting capacity along with housing an additional 75 new operators. At the same time the companies Dunmore, PA facility, was developing unique technologies in order to effectively cut miles of webbing and related narrow fabrics that most items required. These newly created systems created an additional sewn product work force at the Dunmore facility.



In 1990, the company, following its diversification strategies acquired Private Brands Specialty, Inc., in Lake Ariel, PA. A manufacturer of industrial wire brushes, this subsidiary provides a strong commercial business segment with distinctively different market elements.



As the company’s account base grew between government and commercial work, and a growing number of international customers, we once again found the need to increase the size of our sewing operations. In the summer of 1992 we opened our Jefferson City Plant I. This plant, a 20,000 square foot facility along with Louisville now provided capacity for some 180 operators, longer cutting tables, and automated spreading equipment to spread and cut fabric more efficiently. It was about this same time that the original 5000 square foot building where we started our sewn product manufacturing was closed.



With additional contracts in hand the company purchased an additional 30,000 square foot building in Jefferson City (Jefferson City Plant II) which is across the street from Jefferson City Plant I. This plant with its 30’ high ceilings would operate as the company’s central warehouse for raw materials and with the addition of a Lectra Automatic Cutting System would act as the prime cutting facility to feed itself, Plant I, and Louisville. In addition, this facility would house an additional 80 operators which now raised the total number of sewing operators to 250.



All of this expansion and growth is not without some problems and growing pains. In order to staff these new facilities managers, support personnel and quality control inspectors all had to be hired and trained. Computer systems and quality systems had to be upgraded and enhanced. To this end the company worked throughout 1994 and much 1995 working on systems and training personnel in a manner consistent with the company’s creed.



As the growth continued with additional contracts and extensions to existing contracts the need for additional capacity arose. With three plants in the greater Knoxville, TN area the company sought to go outside of the area and looked at Jackson County, KY. Located only two hours from Knoxville on Interstate 75 this labor-surplus area was rich with experienced sewing operators. It was also one of only three Rural Empowerment Zones in the entire country which are created for the purpose of creating nonagricultural jobs. In May of 1995 the company purchased its McKee KY, Plant I, facility. This 25,000 square foot facility was quickly filled with equipment and applicants. The plant was a former Laura Ashley clothing factory and had been closed for roughly two years, so many of the Laura Ashley operators were eager to get back to work. This facility added 140 additional operators.



In 1997 the company made another strategic acquisition with the purchase of Penn Fibre in Greenwood, DE. Penn Fibre is a manufacturer of thermoplastic resin extrusions. In addition to the extrusion capabilities, Penn Fibre manufactures finished die cut, punched, and slit goods from the material it extrudes.



One year later, in the summer of 1998, the company opened a second sewing facility in McKee, KY. Located across the street from McKee Plant I, McKee Plant II added an additional 30,000 square feet of production space, and room for an additional 180 sewing operators. With this additional capacity the company began plans to more effectively market itself to both their government and commercial sewn product accounts. The result was the creation of two new marketing areas to best serve the customer base, and grow the company’s business. The resulting divisions are now known as Specialty Defense Systems, which handles government contracting, and Specialty Sewn Products, which handles commercial accounts.



Today Specialty Plastic Products sewing operations encompasses approximately 170,000 square feet of manufacturing space with 6 locations, and a capacity for 700+ direct labor operators. The company attributes this growth to the fact it has continued to meet or exceed its customers expectations by building quality products, providing timely deliveries, paying attention to detail, and being price competitive.