What Activar Plastic Products Group does

Activar Plastic Products Group, Inc. is a privately held Bloomington, Minnesota-based holding company founded circa 1953 that operates a portfolio of five wholly owned subsidiaries serving U.S. industrial, manufacturing, laboratory, and electronics customers. Through Seelye Eiler Plastics it distributes a broad range of diversified industrial plastics and claims to be one of the largest plastic distribution companies in the United States. Through Mid America Plastics it provides custom plastics fabrication including machining, laser cutting, and welding, with capabilities spanning prototyping to assembled product. Through Afton Plastics it manufactures precision high-performance thermoplastic resin shapes (sheet, rod, cylinder forms). Through LabAire Systems it designs and builds polypropylene airflow equipment, casework, and laboratory enclosures for harsh and corrosive environments on a design-to-order basis. Through Circuit Chemistry Equipment it engineers specialty wet processing equipment for printed circuit board manufacturers, including custom plating tanks, the VLP-25 Vertical Lab Processor, and the EPR Series Electrolytic Permanganate Regeneration Module.

The group is ISO 9001:2015 certified (since 2018), has 101-250 employees, and sells via direct B2B field sales to enterprise customers including Air Liquide America, Hawkins, and Loram Maintenance Right of Way. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales of distributed plastic materials and engineered shapes, custom fabrication services, and built-to-order wet process equipment — pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is relationship-driven, supported by long-tenured customer relationships and a multi-brand distribution architecture (each subsidiary maintains its own website and customer base). The group is not publicly listed, discloses no external investment, and reports no recent M&A, funding, or product-launch activity in the input data.

Name

Activar Plastic Products Group

Legal name

Activar Plastic Products Group, Inc.

Website

https://activarppg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Activar Plastic Products Group is a privately held U.S. industrial holding company operating five subsidiaries that distribute plastics, fabricate custom plastic components, and manufacture specialty wet-process equipment for manufacturing plants, laboratories, and PCB producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Plastics Manufacturing and Distribution

NAICS

Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (32619)

SIC

Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Injection Molding & Contract Manufacturing (Job Shops/CMs) (IMANAFAJ)

Keywords

• Plastic distribution services
• Industrial plastics fabrication
• Engineered thermoplastic shapes
• Custom plastic machining
• Wet process equipment manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Plastic Materials Distribution: Distribution of a wide range of durable, precision plastic products and materials to industrial customers.
2. Specialty Engineered Shapes: Production and sale of specialty high-quality engineered plastic shapes including sheet, rod and cylinder forms.
3. Machining and Fabrication Services: Complete machining and fabrication services for customized plastic components. Includes laser cutting, welding, and prototyping through to assembled product.
4. Custom Equipment Manufacturing (CCE): Design and build of specialty wet processing equipment including custom plating tanks, lab processors, and electrolytic regeneration systems. Also operates as OEM and component distributor.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Activar Plastic Products Group provides industrial plastic materials distribution, manufactures specialty high-quality engineered thermoplastic shapes (sheet, rod, cylinder), and operates complete machining and fabrication facilities for customized plastic components. Through its subsidiaries it also designs and builds specialty wet processing equipment—including custom plating tanks, vertical lab processors, and electrolytic permanganate regeneration modules—serving manufacturing plants, laboratories, and printed circuit board manufacturers across the United States.

Product overview

Activar Plastic Products Group is a plastic distribution and manufacturing company organized as a holding company with multiple subsidiary brands. The portfolio includes Seelye Eiler Plastics (industrial plastic distribution), LabAire Systems (laboratory airflow equipment and casework), Mid America Plastics (custom fabrication with machining, laser cutting, and welding), Afton Plastics (high-performance thermoplastic resin shapes), and Circuit Chemistry Equipment (specialty wet processing equipment for printed circuit manufacturers including the VLP-25 Vertical Lab Processor, custom plating tanks, and EPR Electrolytic Permanganate Regeneration Module). The group also provides ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seelye Eiler Plastics Distribution Distribution of a broad range of diversified industrial plastics; described as one of the largest plastic distribution companies in the United States, providing materials to manufacturers across multiple industries.
• LabAire Systems Laboratory Equipment Manufacture of a complete line of polypropylene airflow equipment, casework, lab enclosures, and laboratory accessories designed to withstand harsh and corrosive environments, with a custom solutions division offering design-to-order fabrication and delivery.
• Mid America Plastics Fabrication Services Custom plastics fabrication offering a full range of machining, laser cutting, and welding services, from prototyping through to assembled product, for customers with demanding industry standards.
• Afton Plastics Engineered Thermoplastic Shapes Manufacture of advanced high-performance thermoplastic resin shapes and components, including precision-manufactured sheet, rod, and cylinder shapes engineered using premium materials.
• Circuit Chemistry Equipment Wet Process Solutions Specialty equipment for the wet process needs of printed circuit manufacturers and related industries throughout the United States, including custom plating tanks, vertical lab processors, and electrolytic regeneration systems.
• VLP-25 Series Vertical Lab Processor Compact, self-contained vertical spraying station with easy top loading of a 25-inch diameter process fixture, individually controlled front and rear spray manifolds, diaphragm valve pressure control, cone-spray nozzles, rotary and vertical motion, view window, polypropylene construction, 25-gallon sump, PTFE heater with digital temperature control, speed control, low-level protection, and safety interlock.
• Custom Process Plating Tanks Custom-designed specialty tanks for wet processing needs, fabricated in polypropylene, polyethylene, PVC/CPVC, or PVDF materials and configured with components such as immersion heaters, cooling coils, pumps, filtration, anodes, cathodes, rectifiers, and pH and conductivity controls.
• EPR Series Electrolytic Permanganate Regeneration Module Compact module that extends the life of potassium permanganate etch back and desmear processes by eliminating solids and sludge buildup, reducing chemical consumption; uses HDPE, UHMW, copper, and stainless steel wetted materials.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Seelye Eiler PlasticscoreOthersSubsidiary company of Activar Plastic Products Group. One of the largest plastic distribution companies in the United States, providing customers with exceptional service and a broad range of diversified industrial plastics for more than half a century.
• LabAire SystemscoreOthersSubsidiary company manufacturing a complete line of polypropylene airflow equipment, casework, lab enclosures and laboratory accessories designed to withstand harsh and corrosive environments. Includes custom solutions division with design-to-order fabrication and delivery.
• Mid America PlasticscoreOthersSubsidiary company and industry-leading custom plastics fabricator offering full range of machining, laser cutting and welding services from prototyping to assembled product.
• Circuit Chemistry EquipmentcoreOthersSubsidiary company providing specialty equipment to meet wet process needs of printed circuit manufacturers and related industries. Offers custom plating tanks and electrolytic regeneration systems.
• Afton PlasticscoreOthersSubsidiary company and quality-driven manufacturer of advanced high-performance thermoplastic resin shapes and components. Precision manufactured polymers include sheet, rod and cylinder shapes.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• McMaster-Carr: Dominant US industrial MRO distributor with broad plastics, machined parts, and fabricated components catalog. Comparable customer overlap with Activar's industrial distribution, though McMaster-Carr operates at vastly larger scale across a much broader product portfolio.
• Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials: Global manufacturer of high-performance engineered plastic shapes and machined components. Directly comparable to Afton Plastics' engineered shapes portfolio, with much larger scale and product breadth.
• Ensinger: Global engineered plastics manufacturer producing semi-finished stock shapes, machined parts, and custom profiles. Comparable to Afton Plastics' shapes business and parts fabrication at Activar but with broader international footprint and scale.
• Röchling: Global industrial plastics group producing engineered thermoplastic shapes and machined components for industrial customers. Comparable to Activar's shapes and fabrication businesses with significantly broader portfolio and geographic reach.
• Plaskolite: North American plastics manufacturer producing fabricated plastic sheet, formed products, and components for industrial customers. Comparable to Activar's shapes and fabrication businesses with significantly larger production scale.

Direct peers

• Interstate Plastics: US-based plastic distributor and fabricator offering machining and fabrication services to industrial customers. Comparable to Activar's distribution plus Mid America Plastics fabrication model.
• Curbell Plastics: One of the largest US plastic distributors serving industrial customers with sheet, rod, film, and fabricated plastic components. Directly comparable to Activar's Seelye Eiler distribution arm in product breadth, customer base, and B2B industrial GTM.
• AIN Plastics: Industrial plastics distributor (part of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA) offering engineered plastic shapes, machining, and fabrication. Directly comparable to Activar's distribution and engineered shapes offering across similar industrial customers.
• Boedeker Plastics: Specialty US plastic distributor focused on engineered and high-performance plastic shapes. Comparable to Afton Plastics' engineered shapes business with overlapping thermoplastic product portfolio.
• Technic Inc. Manufacturer of specialty wet process equipment, plating chemistries, and process controls for PCB and semiconductor manufacturers. Directly comparable to Circuit Chemistry Equipment's plating tanks and wet process systems business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Activar Plastic Products Group