News & Press Releases

R&B Plastics Machinery Continues Growth, Names New President: Al Hodge to lead privately owned company

February 17, 2010

Saline, MI – Expanded product offerings, growth in a down market, and innovative operating policies contributed to the expansion of R&B Plastics Machinery LLC, a manufacturer of blow molding machines and extrusion equipment since 1980.

So did new direction. Al Hodge was promoted to the position of President of R&B Holdings LLC effective February 17, 2010. He joined the company more than a year ago and brought with him over 30-years of sales and marketing as well as general management experience, announced Robert LaGanke, now Group Vice President of Talon Group, R&B’s parent company. Hodge will be responsible for R&B Plastics Machinery, Monroe Mold, and R&B Real Estate companies. He will continue to work from the firm’s Saline headquarters, located five-miles south of Ann Arbor, MI.

“Since Al has been part of our team, he has demonstrated the critical management as well as leadership qualities required to lead this company forward,“ LaGanke said. The announcement was made to employees February 16.

Hodge most recently was the Vice President of Sales for R&B Plastics Machinery LLC, directing its sales and marketing efforts for blow molding and extrusion machinery. A veteran of the plastics industry, Hodge has held plant management, engineering, sales and corporate-staff management positions for controls and machinery manufacturers. He is a recognized speaker and has served as a consultant to firms needing assistance with extrusion processing issues.

Hodge is a member of the Society of Plastics Industry Machinery Division (SPI) and a long-term member of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). He holds degrees in electrical engineering, international business and an MBA. He is a native of western PA, a father of two daughters, and currently resides in Saline, MI with his wife.

Company History
Hodge is charged with continuing the expansion of R&B Plastics’ customer base in the extrusion and blow-molding markets. First established in 1942 as R&B Machine Tool Co., R&B Plastics Machinery was created as a separate operating subsidiary in 1980. In 2001 the machine tool division was sold and later closed.

Today, R&B Plastics Machinery makes the MAX single-screw extruders for diverse applications including profile (all shapes and sizes), hose, tubing, pipe, (rigid and flexible), cast and rolled sheet. For over 30 years R&B Plastics has manufactured a diverse line of blow molders including:

• Small, medium and large-shuttle blow molders, mono and multi-layer extrusion, delivers calibrated necks for easy pour, lowest cost
• Mechanical wheel blow molders, mono and multi-layer co-extrusion, lowest cost for high-speed production
• Rotary-indexing wheel machines for high-speed production, combines wheel and shuttle systems
• Reciprocating blow molders for mono-layer, HDPE or PP, best for light-weight containers
• Injection-blow molders, ideal for light-weight containers, fast cycle times, mono-layer only
• Trimmers/deflashers to reduce waste, recycle scrap plastic
• Equipment can be complete, customized manufacturing lines or replacements for existing machines, each serving diverse end-use markets.

“We’re also pleased at the growth of our Rebuilding/Modernization unit that upgrades all makes and models of older machines to newer standards – extruders and blow molders. This includes a field service team of 18 with a collective 300+ years’ experience,” Hodge said.

R&B Plastics Machinery is part of the Talon Group based in Detroit, MI. For more information see www.rbplasticsmachinery.com.