The Alabama Technology Network and The Business Council of Alabama presented Plasmine Technology Inc, of Bay Minette, with the prestigious Alabama Small Manufacturer of the Year Award April 23 in Montgomery at the 9th Annual Celebration banquet.

Gov. Riley presented the award to Plasmine. This Small category recognizes companies with 1-99 employees.

The Alabama Manufacturer of the Year Award is presented in three size categories to ensure the fair recognition of all applicants regardless of the size of their work force. Winning manufacturers are selected by an independent panel of judges who look for demonstrations of superior performance in the areas of customer focus, employee commitment, operational excellence, continuous improvement, profitable growth and investment in training and retraining.

Plasmine Technology, incorporated in 1990, has corporate headquarters in Pensacola, Fla., with plants in Bay Minette and Portland, Me. The company is wholly owned by Harima Chemical, Osaka Japan.

The company’s foundation is based on producing various rosin sizes for the paper industry from tall oil rosin (from pine trees as a byproduct of the Kraft pulp making process.)

Plasmine’s fortunes rose and fell with the paper industry. In 2002, facing an unprofitable future, new business strategies were put in place at the corporate level to approach the paper market in new ways and broaden Plasmine’s product base to other industries.

Today, the company has markets in the paper industry, the adhesive industry, concrete additives, and custom tolling for air emission reduction and water treatment.

The Bay Minette Plant has grown from 12 to 17 employees during this period.

Company changes placed new demands on the Bay Minette facility in quality, cost, and productivity. A number of very successful programs were put in place over the following years in maintenance reliability, material efficiency, cycle times, and employee efficiency — recognition.

A very successful employee suggestion program has served as a foundation for significant cost reduction and plant improvement activities.

In 2006, the Alabama Technical Network trained the Plasmine employees in a program called “5S.” This program focuses on workplace organization, cleanliness, identification, and employee accountability. It helped instill a new discipline in Plasmine which has carried into Safety and Quality.

The 28-acre Plasmine site started Manufacturing in 1912. Prior operations had contaminated the site in several areas. Plasmine was accepted in the State Brownfield program and remediated those areas to ADEM standards.

According to Philip Ulichney, director of manufacturing, “The employees of Plasmine are ecstatic over the external recognition provided by this award. We are very thankful for the manufacturing support provided by the State of Alabama through the Alabama Technology Network and similar agencies.”