R&B Plastics Machinery
R&B Plastics Machinery is a privately held US manufacturer of custom blow molding machinery, single-screw extruders, and plastics finishing equipment founded in 1980 in Saline, Michigan, serving plastics processors across packaging, pharmaceutical, automotive, construction, and industrial end markets throughout North America via direct sales and aftermarket service.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersSaline, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What R&B Plastics Machinery does
R&B Plastics Machinery, LLC is a privately held US manufacturer of custom blow molding machinery and single-screw extrusion equipment headquartered in Saline, Michigan. Founded in 1980 and operating from a 60,000 square foot full-service facility, the company engineers and builds blow molding machines across five core platforms — reciprocating, accumulator head (25L to 2,000L), shuttle, mechanical wheel, and injection blow molding (MAX 1800 Series) — alongside its MAX Extruder line of single-screw extruders ranging from 1" to 10" in diameter. Differentiated sub-systems include the MAX Parison Control closed-loop wall-thickness controller with 100-point profiling, MAX IMPACT screws (4340 HTSR steel with Colmonoy 56 hard-facing for reciprocating applications), and open-architecture control systems built on Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Eurotherm, and Automation Direct platforms. A patented Chipless Dome Cutting technology supports finishing operations, and trimmers/deflashers with Controlled Scrap Release round out the in-line equipment portfolio.
The company's revenue model is anchored on one-time capital-equipment sales of custom and configured blow molding machines, extruders, screws, and trimmers, supplemented by three service-driven revenue streams: machinery repair and rebuild services, 24/7 field service and technical support deployed throughout North America, and aftermarket parts. Rebuild and modernization work is positioned at 50–60% cost savings versus new equipment, exploiting the existing installed base. Sales are exclusively direct via a small enterprise sales team (Director of Sales Dave Corson, Sales Manager Ken Caryl) with no dealer or distributor channel; marketing is conducted through industry trade shows, product literature, and video content rather than broad digital campaigns.
R&B serves plastics processors producing containers and parts for food and beverage packaging, dairy, personal care, pharmaceuticals, motor oil and lubricants, household chemicals, automotive components, lawn and garden, marine and recreational goods, construction products, and industrial pipe and tubing. Customer mix is horizontal across use cases rather than concentrated in a single industry vertical, and pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Leadership is long-tenured, with President & General Manager Fred Piercy (joined 2014), Director of Mechanical Engineering Larry Weber (42+ years), and Sales Manager Ken Caryl (36 years), reflecting a stable, founder/management-owned operating posture with no disclosed private equity or venture backing.
R&B Plastics Machinery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- R&B Plastics Machinery
- Legal name
- R&B Plastics Machinery, LLC
- Website
- https://rbplasticsmachinery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- R&B Plastics Machinery is a privately held US manufacturer of custom blow molding machinery, single-screw extruders, and plastics finishing equipment founded in 1980 in Saline, Michigan, serving plastics processors across packaging, pharmaceutical, automotive, construction, and industrial end markets throughout North America via direct sales and aftermarket service.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
R&B Plastics Machinery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Plastics Processing Machinery
- NAICS
- Packaging Machinery Manufacturing (333993)
- SIC
- Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Blow Molding & Thermoforming Packaging Equipment (Bottle/Tray Making) (IMALAOAK)
Keywords
Where R&B Plastics Machinery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saline
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
R&B Plastics Machinery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Blow Molding Machines: Design, engineering and manufacturing of custom blow molding equipment including injection blow molding, reciprocating, accumulator head, shuttle, and wheel machines. Equipment sales represent core revenue stream.
- Single-Screw Extruders: Manufacturing and sale of MAX Extruder product line ranging from 1" to 10" diameter, including standard and custom configurations
- Machinery Repair & Rebuild Services: Reconditioning and modernization services for blow molding and extrusion equipment, bringing older machinery up to current standards. Services include hydraulic, mechanical, electrical upgrades, controls systems, and ANSI safety upgrades. Customer example shows 50-60% cost savings vs new equipment.
- Field Service & Technical Support: 24/7 field service with technicians dispatched throughout North America for repairs, maintenance, and troubleshooting at customer facilities
- Aftermarket Parts: Parts and aftermarket sales including screws, barrels, control system components, and wear parts for blow molding and extrusion equipment
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
R&B Plastics Machinery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
R&B Plastics Machinery designs, engineers, and manufactures custom blow molding machines and single-screw extruders (under the MAX Extruder brand) for plastics processors in North America. The company also produces MAX Parison Control systems, MAX IMPACT screws, trimmers/deflashers, and offers equipment rebuild/modernization plus 24/7 field service support.
Product overview
R&B Plastics Machinery is a manufacturer of blow molding and extrusion equipment based in Saline, Michigan, operating since 1980. The product portfolio centers on two core equipment lines: blow molding machines (including Injection Blow Molding, Reciprocating Blow Molding, Accumulator Head, Shuttle, and Wheel types) and single-screw extruders under the MAX Extruder brand. These are complemented by the MAX Parison Control system for wall-thickness control and MAX IMPACT screw products for both standard extrusion and reciprocating blow molding applications. Supporting equipment includes Trimmers & Deflashers and Controlled Scrap Release Systems. The company also offers extensive services including custom machine design, rebuild/modernization, field service support, preventative maintenance, and prototype development. The MAX Extruder line serves as the foundational extrusion platform, while blow molding machines range from small-scale shuttle units to high-volume wheel systems, with accessories like controls systems and screws designed to work across the equipment portfolio.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MAX Extruder: Complete line of single-screw extruder machines ranging in size from 1" to 10" in diameter.
- MAX IMPACT
- MAX Parison Control
- MAX 1800 Series
Products and services
- MAX Extruder (Single-Screw Extruders) A complete line of single-screw extruder machines ranging from 1" to 10" in diameter, available as stand-alone units or integrated with HMI controls. Features double reduction gearboxes, AC motors/drives, smooth bore, vented and non-vented designs in various L/D ratios. Sold to plastics processors for industrial and consumer product extrusion.
- MAX IMPACT Screws
Quantifiable outcome
- 50-60% cost savings vs. new equipment through rebuild/modernization services
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use R&B Plastics Machinery
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
R&B Plastics Machinery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
R&B Plastics Machinery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Allen-Bradley (Rockwell Automation)coreAllen-Bradley control systems are offered as the preferred PLC platform for R&B's control system upgrades. R&B provides discrete or PLC-based control systems using Allen-Bradley components including Control Logix systems and touch screen controls.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
R&B Plastics Machinery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Uniloy (Milacron): Uniloy, historically part of Milacron, is a long-established blow molding machinery brand offering a broader portfolio of extrusion blow and injection blow systems than R&B. Comparable as a packaging/container-focused OEM with global service, but at a much larger scale across more product categories.
- Sidel Group: Sidel is a global PET stretching and blow molding equipment supplier integrated into Tetra Pak packaging solutions, serving beverage, food, and personal care container producers. Adjacent competition for R&B in PET and packaging blow molding space but at vastly greater scale, with comprehensive line integration capabilities.
- Davis-Standard: Davis-Standard is a leading global manufacturer of extrusion systems for plastics, including sheet, film, pipe, and profile lines, with extensive controls and aftermarket support. Directly comparable to R&B's MAX Extruder and Custom Built Extruder product lines for plastics processors, but in a much larger general-purpose extrusion machinery portfolio.
- Nissei ASB Machine Co., Ltd. Nissei ASB is a major Japanese manufacturer of injection blow molding machines used worldwide for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and beverage containers. Overlaps with R&B's MAX 1800 Series IBM offering and serves overlapping end-markets, though with a broader international installed base.
Direct peers
- Graham Engineering Corporation: Graham Engineering builds extrusion and blow molding systems, including high-output wheel and accumulator machinery for industrial containers and packaging. Directly competes with R&B in wheel blow molding and large-part extrusion blow molding equipment for rigid container manufacturers.
- Jomar Corporation: Jomar specializes in injection blow molding machinery for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food-grade containers, the same niche that R&B's MAX 1800 Series injection blow molder targets. Closely aligned business model of small-to-mid batch IBM equipment with custom engineering and aftermarket support.
- Kautex Maschinenbau: Kautex manufactures accumulator head and continuous extrusion blow molding machines serving packaging, automotive, and industrial container applications. Overlaps with R&B's reciprocating, accumulator head, and custom blow molding product lines for the same processor end-markets.
- Bekum America Corporation: Bekum is one of the largest global manufacturers of extrusion blow molding machines for packaging and industrial containers, with a dedicated North American subsidiary. Directly comparable to R&B across extrusion blow molding equipment, custom machine design, and aftermarket service for the same converter customer base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
R&B Plastics Machinery social profiles
Digital presenceR&B Plastics Machinery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
R&B Plastics Machinery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
R&B Plastics Machinery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
R&B Plastics Machinery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about R&B Plastics Machinery
What does R&B Plastics Machinery do?
R&B Plastics Machinery designs, engineers, and manufactures custom blow molding machines and single-screw extruders (under the MAX Extruder brand) for plastics processors in North America. The company also produces MAX Parison Control systems, MAX IMPACT screws, trimmers/deflashers, and offers equipment rebuild/modernization plus 24/7 field service support.
Is R&B Plastics Machinery a public or private company?
R&B Plastics Machinery is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was R&B Plastics Machinery founded?
R&B Plastics Machinery was founded in 1980. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is R&B Plastics Machinery based?
R&B Plastics Machinery is headquartered in Saline, United States, in the North America region.
How does R&B Plastics Machinery make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Custom Blow Molding Machines are the primary driver. The others are single-Screw Extruders, machinery Repair & Rebuild Services, field Service & Technical Support and aftermarket Parts.
Who are R&B Plastics Machinery's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Uniloy (Milacron), Sidel Group, Davis-Standard and Nissei ASB Machine Co., Ltd.. Direct peers are Graham Engineering Corporation, Jomar Corporation, Kautex Maschinenbau and Bekum America Corporation.
Does R&B Plastics Machinery have an API?
No public API is recorded for R&B Plastics Machinery.
What industry is R&B Plastics Machinery in?
R&B Plastics Machinery's product category is Industrial Plastics Processing Machinery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAOAK, Blow Molding & Thermoforming Packaging Equipment (Bottle/Tray Making). Its NAICS code is 333993 and its SIC code is 3550.