Rapid Granulator makes major investment to take back full control of U.S. production

Size-reduction equipment specialist Rapid Granulator is making one of its biggest investments in decades to bring U.S. production under its full control. The Bredaryd, Sweden–based company announced that this is a “major move in its most important market.”

Rapid will begin in-house production of its full range of equipment for granulating and shredding plastics in Pittsburgh, PA, early in the second quarter of this year. The subject of a multi-million dollar spend by the Swedish company, the 6,000-square-meter (65,000- square-foot) facility will also include a 325-square-meter showroom, warehousing and offices.

“In the near future, we will have full control over U.S. production, just like we have in Sweden and just like we had here in the past,” said Jim Hoffman, Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “It is really important for us to have responsibility for the quality and reliability of our equipment in our own hands.”

Rapid has outsourced its production in the United States since 2008, and the company has experienced major success, noting that 2016 was a record year. “But we are very ambitious. The North American market right now is healthy and growing, and we want to grow ever faster,” said Hoffman. “It is clear that there is a spirit here [favoring products] made in America, and we are going to do our best to give processors in the plastics industry more opportunities to do that. We are also very happy to bring new employment to the USA. We will, of course, be sourcing key electrical components from leading U.S. suppliers.”

Hoffman, who has been with Rapid Granulator for 26 years, said the company is returning to its roots, 40 years after it first set up operations in the United States. “Up until 2008, we had our own production in Illinois. But then we became part of a bigger group, and production was merged with that of other group members in Pittsburgh, PA,” he explained.

Rapid was acquired by Swedish company Lifco just over two years ago. U.S. production has continued uninterrupted at the previous owner’s operations, but now Rapid is taking everything back in house. “We are very passionate about our products, and this passion is reinforced when you have total control of the finished product all the way through to when it is going out the door,” said Hoffman. “We are very grateful to our new owners for having the strength and confidence to make this important move, and we are going to show them that it was the right thing to do.”

The new facility, situated close to Pittsburgh’s airport, will have sufficient space to showcase all of Rapid’s equipment for granulation and shredding of plastics production waste and for recycling of postconsumer material. At this time, Rapid is not divulging output figures or employment numbers.

The U.S. investment comes shortly after Rapid added a major extension to its test facilities at its headquarters in Sweden. Both initiatives are the result of an important strategic investment made by Lifco.