Celebrating 65 years of thermoforming innovation

This year we look back on 65 years of innovation in thermoforming! Our story began in 1960, when pioneering thermoformer John Grundy (1932-2017) opened the doors to his garage shop in Northbrook, Illinois. And we’ve continued to advance the art and science of thermoforming ever since.

Normally, we share technical information about the thermoforming process on our website. This story shows how three generations of people brought us here. Learn more about our capabilities here.

Setting a vision in place

John and those who came after him were visionaries who transformed their industry. They grew Profile from a small job shop to a large contract manufacturer and assembler, developing greater quality, consistency, capability, flexibility, and scalable capacity.

Together with his wife Diane, John created an efficient, disciplined business model that delivered value to customers. He excelled at understanding each customer’s challenges and developing the right solution.

The Grundys applied a hands-on, detail-oriented problem-solving approach to Profile’s operations. They treated employees fairly and generously, gathering a dedicated team who shared their straightforward, honest approach. Treating suppliers as partners and friends, the company bought materials and sold products at fair prices.

John recognized the importance of connecting with other small manufacturers in the plastics industry. As plastic replaced wood, metal, and glass in manufacturing, advanced equipment would be needed to transform plastic materials into finished parts.

By joining the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), he gained access to new technologies and trends. The Thermoforming Institute of the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) also connected Profile to plastic producers developing new markets for their materials.

From handwork to robotics

In 1960, thermoforming was mostly handwork. Quality and consistency depended on the skill of the operators. A single error in manual trimming, drilling, or cutting could turn added value into costly waste.

John excelled at finding solutions. He built a large new facility was built in 1969 to make room for more advanced equipment. In 1979, he installed the very first 5-axis CNC trimming machine in the industry to trim thermoformed parts. This device was originally created for woodworking.

That first machine came with some challenges, but it helped revolutionize plastic post-processing. It improved accuracy, saving time and money. Part consistency increased dramatically. It would be 10 years before computer-controlled trimmers became common in the plastics industry.

Connecting to the future

Along with the trimmer, John added a computerized business system before they were commonplace for small businesses. This simplified the business side for Profile. Profile worked with outside design expert Glenn Beall in the mid-1980s. Glenn wrote Profile’s first Design Guide to help position and promote the benefits of pressure forming.

The ability to forge relationships helped John bridge the gap between chemical engineers who understood plastics and tradespeople who understood fabrication. Polymer engineering consultant Jim Throne, Ph.D. put John in contact with Steve Murrill. The three discussed possible new developments in plastics manufacturing.

However, the conversation didn’t end there. Signode, the plastic strapping business where Steve worked, was sold off to another company. Jim encouraged him to buy Profile as John neared retirement.

John and Diane had doubts about handing the business to a single entrepreneur. However, the two men shared a bond as Eagle Scouts and John quickly became Steve’s mentor. Steve bought the business in 1987 to start the next chapter of the company’s history.

Finishing Touches

As Profile’s new owner, Steve leveraged John’s innovations. He championed molded-in color and texture to eliminate painting and increase efficiency.

He hired former rocket-scientist-turned-thermoforming engineer Stephen Sweig (1943-2017). Stephen worked with equipment suppliers to improve their machines, delivering closer tolerances and minimizing cycle times.

Together, Steve and Stephen helped develop pressure forming into a viable process. Profile used this technique to make a highly detailed air conditioner plenum for the computer industry. One of the first large parts successfully done this way, and it’s still in production almost 40 years later!

Pumping up the volume

Steve envisioned commercializing pressure forming, scaling the business for higher volumes. That required building an entirely new facility in Lake Bluff in 1995 to support more automation. Evolving and automating thermoforming equipment helped Profile achieve larger sizes and higher volumes than in the past.

The capacity to scale production requires the right tools and strategy. Stephen guided the assembly of generalized production equipment that could run a variety of tools, ensuring throughput.

Developing new tools with pneumatic articulation allowed Profile to add complex new features to parts, like undercuts that offer previously impossible functionality.

Secrets of Success

In thermoforming, know-how is central to success. And Profile’s pursuit of improvement has been recognized by the plastics industry with more than 40 awards since 1986.

John, Steve, and Stephen have all been named Thermoformer of the Year by the SPE’s Thermoforming Division over the years. In fact, Profile is the only company to have three people receive this honor.

Steve has also been honored with the Thermoforming Division’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Now Profile continues John’s vision and legacy into the third generation. Steve’s sons Mark and Matt bought the business in 2017, building on a great heritage. Profile’s team approach to engineering and production helps us develop new processes and create parts that exceed customer expectations.

Looking forward

Investing in our people, equipment and processes for the long term made has helped Profile stand out for 65 years. Going forward, the team still strives to advance thermoforming and deliver highly cosmetic, close-tolerance thermoformed OEM parts.