One Driving Force – Reintroducing Plasman
Windsor-Essex, meet Plasman. A new look for a global company with a history dating back over 42 years.
Today, within 24 state-of-the-art, environmentally conscious manufacturing facilities and offices that spread across 9 countries, Windsor’s Plasman manufactures parts for some of the world’s largest and most prominent automotive brands. Specifically, right here in Essex County the company makes exterior automotive trim products which amounts to the local production of millions of wheel flares, spoilers, body side moldings, front grills, and bumper components. You may be surprised to learn the name of this local company and may be more familiar with “Build-A-Mold,” one of the company’s original local manufacturing facilities.
Recently, Plasman completed a worldwide rebrand, which introduced a sleek new logo and a unified global brand name, bringing Build-A-Mold and 4 other divisions under a single, unified banner. Chief Executive Officer David Wiskel is eager to use this milestone as an opportunity to reemphasize his talented and diverse team’s connections with the local community.
“The change reflects the company’s growth from a two-person tool shop into a global automotive and manufacturing leader,” says Wiskel, now in his 16th year as CEO. “There’s power in our new brand identity in terms of building pride, showcasing our products and reach, and connecting our employees to something bigger.” That is what it means to be “One Driving Force”.
Over the last decade and a half, the company has grown substantially with the plan to increase its global presence to ensure optimal customer satisfaction while offering a source of supply closer to their customers. The expansion was largely achieved through acquisition and organic greenfield manufacturing site expansions in Mexico, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Canada and the United States. Today, the Company employs over 4,300 worldwide, including 1,200 right here in Windsor-Essex.
Although Plasman is owned by a Dallas-based private equity firm, the operation remains headquartered in Oldcastle. “When I started here, we were a small Canadian company, with smaller facilities only in the Windsor area,” says Wiskel. “Now we operate with locations in nine different countries and have manufacturing locations in six, but our main global headquarters are here in Windsor. That will never change, no matter how much we grow.”
Importantly, Plasman spreads its success across Windsor-Essex and the other communities in which it operates. Locally, Wiskel and Plasman team members partner with community organizations that work with children, delivering hot meals, holiday gifts, and life-saving safety equipment to area youth through organizations like F.W. Begley Public School, Windsor Essex Children’s Aid Society, John McGivney Children’s Centre, Windsor Residence for Young Men, Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham/Kent, Maryvale and the Safety Village. “It’s important to us,” stresses Wiskel. “We’ve been over the years a very humble and hardworking company that has grown in size. We know we’re very fortunate people.”
Ultimately, Plasman Group represents the right parts, the right people, and the right place.
“We want people to know who we are, what we do, and how important it is to us to be apart of Windsor-Essex Community,” stresses Wiskel. “You can take a look at just about any vehicle that’s made out there, and it is likely it has a Plasman part on it, that is something we all are extremely proud of.”
From design to delivery, Plasman provides its customers the perfect part – where and when you need it. For thousands of Windsorites and their families, the company has done a lot more than that.
