PPC is a world-class injection molder with leading-edge secondary decorating
and assembly capabilities. The privately owned company is solely based in
Wisconsin and has almost 1,600 employees spread across 15 separate locations
operating in seven communities. Its 11 manufacturing facilities provide
products to the medical, automotive, telecommunication and consumer product
industries. The Medford, WI, facility performs plastic injection molding and
provides the organization with secondary decorating operations such as
painting, laser etching, laser marking, pad printing and assembly of
automotive, telecommunication and consumer products.
Through the 1990s this facility ran successfully with a minor source air
pollution control operation permit. This permit consists of very specific
requirements to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) LACT (Latest
Available Control Technology) regulation. These included restricted limits on
VOC per gallon of paint, catalyst, thinner and cleaning solvent as purchased.
This limited the types of paints and colors the company could offer customers,
but given the customer needs and production volume at the time, this was a
manageable situation.