American Plastics LLC, a manufacturer, importer and distributor of consumer storage and commercial cleaning products based in St. Louis, MO, announced it has acquired Centrex Plastics LLC (Findlay, OH) and Creative Plastic Concepts (Sycamore, OH). American Plastics is a portfolio company of Highview Capital LLC and Victory Park Capital Advisors.

With the acquisitions, American Plastics said it will become one of the only companies in the United States to achieve national scale in the plastics industry, with a solid base of blue-chip retail and commercial customers. By combining three industry leaders, the new American Plastics also will accelerate growth of its consumer storage business.

The company will operate across 15 facilities nationwide, including five manufacturing plants and 10 distribution centers. The two newly acquired businesses bring expanded manufacturing resources and industry-leading product development and technological capabilities, including 3D printing, in-house engineering teams and all-electric, high-speed injection molding machines ranging in size from 90 to 2000 tons.

Robert Guerra will remain President and CEO of the combined company, and Nick Reinhart, owner and President of both Centrex and Creative, will be named Chief Innovation Officer at American Plastics and retain an equity stake in the combined company. American Plastics will utilize all current operations of both Centrex, which offers a variety of products for home, lawn and garden, and garage and workshop needs, and Creative’s home and garage storage capabilities and R&D resources. American Plastics will maintain both companies’ successful customer-facing brands, including Centrex’s Commander and Creative’s Shelves and Shelves West.

“This is a transformational transaction for American Plastics that unites three industry leaders driven by the same commitment to delivering top-quality products and customer service,” said Guerra. “Nick is a true innovator who has established a new level and depth of partnership driven by technology. With the added strength of the Centrex and Creative brands, American Plastics will be uniquely positioned to accelerate our sales, establish deeper partnerships with our customers and acquire additional customers throughout the country.”

American Plastics manufactures its branded products under the Continental Commercial Products, Contico, Wilen and Fundamentals banners. The company operates injection molding and manufacturing facilities in Jefferson City, MO, and Tiffin, OH, with additional distribution centers in Fontana, CA, and Toronto. 

Reinhart commented, “We are very excited to partner with American Plastics, Highview and Victory Park. Combining Centrex, Creative and American Plastics will create an experienced and dynamic team, as well as increase our geographical manufacturing footprint and capacity and provide the capital necessary to continue accelerating our growth. 

“Our advanced prototyping technologies, cutting-edge design and engineering team and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities allow us to partner with our customers to take personalized, high-quality products from concept to creation in a matter of days. We look forward to continuing to provide our retail customers with the highest quality, at the best prices, as part of the American Plastics family.”