Tech II, Inc. is a family owned and operated high quality manufacturer of plastic packaging for the consumer packaged goods industry.
In 2019, Tech II celebrated 50 years of injection molding specialization. Our manufacturing facility offers full-service capabilities including: injection molding, in-mold labeling, printing and access to the expertise of our engineering department.
In 1969, five businessmen who met through their connections to a local packaging company, Buckeye Molding, set out to pool their contacts, talents, and efforts together to incorporate Tech II. With help from Bill Kriner at Plastic Machinery, Inc., who agreed to sell Jerry his first machine without a down payment, and from Leah, Jerry’s wife, who put in countless hours to help out with anything she could, Jerry Shiffer and Tech II took off. The other four businessmen advised from a distance, but Jerry was the driving force behind Tech II from the very beginning. He was a “hands-on” engineer, manager, mechanic, press operator and financial planner.
The first orders for the company were from IBM. With the help from another plastic molding company in Cincinnati, Recto Corporation, IBM put their trust in Tech II to deliver a quality product. And that’s exactly what Tech II did. Jerry used his engineering skills to adapt the “two-man” operation to cover a twenty-four hour molding operation. Since the company could not afford a night foreman, he designed a system where the plastic tape cases dropped to the floor under the machine. If the machine failed to operate, the relay pulled a string, releasing the plug, and triggering the telephone line to call the Shiffers’ home phone. Jerry knew if no one was on the other line he had to return to the plant for machine maintenance. In the morning, the Shiffers would pick up the tape cases, which were lying on the floor, and pack them into boxes for shipment.
In 1974, Jerry saw a lack of quality in plastic lids that was causing the food industry big problems. He thought the precision Tech II had developed through molding products for the computer and aircraft industries would help the company compete in the new and expanding field of food packaging. And thus began the first product line of lids, which has since become the major source of profit and production for Tech II. Also in 1974, on the verge of breaking into the plastic lid industry, Tech II purchased their first plant. The 10,000 sq. ft. plant moved operations and twenty-five employees to 1765 W. County Line Road, Springfield, OH, where Tech II still manufactures lids today.
A few years later, with more experience in the food packaging industry, Tech II made it’s first injection molded container. The 3 lb. bowl for Blue Bonnet butter also required printing, so the Tech II printing department was born.
In late 2005, the man who started Tech II out of a garage with nothing but a vision and the work ethic to make it happen, passed away in a plane crash. We remember Jerry for his hard work and the success he had, but also for all the great memories shared, lessons taught, his wonderful wife, and the kids that have since taken over and help to continue the story of Tech II. He will certainly not be forgotten.
In 2011, Tech II decided to expand its’ footprint, both geographically and technologically, and purchased a second plant in Springfield, OH. The addition brought Tech II to over half a million square feet of space and provided a facility dedicated to the production of a European technology known as thermoform in-mold labeling. With the purchase of a thermoformer, Tech II became the first company in North America to produce thermoform in-mold labeled packaging. In Fall of 2019, Tech II made the decision to phase out T-IML and focus on its core injection molding expertise and capabilities.
Under the guidance of the Shiffer family, Tech II continues to grow and be a solid supplier of over 1 billion caps to over 250 customers in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Today, we continue to provide premium quality products with unparalleled service.