Polymershapes is the premier distributor of plastic sheet, rod, tube, film, and associated products, with over 70 years of industry-leading heritage. We have plastic distribution’s most knowledgeable and highly trained sales and customer service team. Our network of stocking facilities, located throughout the Americas, enables our customers access to extensive local inventory from world-class supplier partners, and we can provide same-day delivery in many areas. We offer expert conversion capabilities including cut-to-size sheets, film reel conversion, and CNC routing and machining. We consistently deliver innovative solutions to delight our customers. At Polymershapes, You’re the Center of All We Do!
80+
Local Facilities
37,000
Customers
17,000
SKUs
800
Employees
75 Years in Business
1946
Cadillac Plastic formed in Detroit, MI. Commercial Plastics formed in Philadelphia, PA.
From their formation, Cadillac Plastics and Commercial Plastics grew from small local players to the largest national plastics distributors.
1999
GE Purchases Cadillac Plastic
2000
Acquired by GE and later integrated into GE Plastics, Polymershapes became the leading plastic shapes distributor in North America with best-in-class practices
2008
Under SABIC ownership, Polymershapes grew further and honed more sophisticated distribution strategies
2017
Polymershapes returns to our roots as an independent company; committed to delighting our customers and suppliers with best-in-class performance, and focused on business results, working safely and compliantly, with profitable growth
International Association of Plastics Distribution (IAPD)
Polymershapes is a committed member of the International Association of Plastics Distribution. Our employees volunteer at a number of levels in the association, contributing to the promotion of performance plastics through education, advocacy, and networking. Polymershapes also proudly sponsors IAPD Women in Plastics, and is an annual contributor the IAPD Scholarship Fund.
National Association of Wholesale-Distributors
To further our best-in-class practices, Polymershapes is a member of the National Association of Wholesale-Distributors, connecting our organization with a number of distributors across a variety of industries. NAW’s constituency is “a vital link in the supply chain between manufacturers, retailers, and commercial, institutional and governmental end users.”
Printing United Alliance (formerly SGIA)
As members of the PRINTING United Alliance, Polymershapes supports the print industry as a substrate supplier of choice. The PRINTING United Alliance “is the trade association of choice for professionals in the industrial, graphic, garment, textile, electronics, packaging and commercial printing communities looking to grow their business into new market segments through the incorporation of the latest printing technologies.” Polymershapes exhibits at the annual PRINTING United trade show each year; formerly known as the SGIA Expo.
International Sign Association
Polymershapes is proud to service the production sign market as a member of ISA. The International Sign Association “is dedicated to supporting, promoting and improving the sign, graphics and visual communications industry through government advocacy, education and training programs, technical resources, stakeholder outreach and industry networking events.” Polymershapes exhibits at the annual ISA Sign Expo each year.
Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP)
Polymershapes is a proud Gold Level Patron of SGP. The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) is the only certification organization promoting sustainability in all printing processes throughout the United States and Canada. SGP promotes a sustainable print supply chain through best practices, innovation, information sharing and validation. The SGP program encompasses the three pillars of sustainability – people, planet, and profit.
Sustainability
Recycling
Polymershapes helps you achieve your goals to reduce environmental impact through Polymershapes recycling support – a service aiding customers seeking to manage waste more effectively and economically.
Eco-Friendly Materials
From recycled grade materials, to paperboards and fully recyclable plastics, as our customers’ needs and requirements change to meet the demands on end-users, Polymershapes is your partner to source the latest and most innovative “green” and eco-friendly substrate solutions.
Performance Plastics
Unlike single-use or throwaway plastics, such as plastics straws, shopping bags and water bottles, performance plastics are designed to have a multi-use lifespan and to be extremely durable. Performance plastics last – and you want them to! Performance plastics can play a key role in emission reduction and resource consumption.
Core Values
Own It
Be empowered. Own decisions, results, successes, and mistakes. Always behave as an owner.
Do the Right Thing
Act with honesty, humility, transparency, fairness, and integrity at all times. Be a servant leader.
Create Value
Keep the customer at the center of all you do. Excellence is our passion. Learn continuously and be Rock Star subject matter experts.
Working at Polymershapes
Why did I choose Polymershapes? Hmmm. What is it that you’re looking for in an occupation? Is it money, is it experience, is it new challenges or are you searching for something deeper – purpose. The reason I ask is simple, I was searching for the same meaning 12 years ago when I stumbled upon Polymershapes on Indeed.com. At that time I was thinking about occupational impact, I was thinking about occupational fit and most importantly, I was thinking about occupational fulfillment. If you find yourself staring outside the west-facing window of your cubicle wondering what an occupation with fit, impact and fulfillment feels like, have a listen to the following.
Twelve years ago I started at a company called Polymershapes and didn’t have a clue what a performance plastic was. Was it plastic cutlery? Was it those bags that go over your dry cleaning? I remember I had just returned from backpacking in Europe and needed to generate some income quickly – did submitting a resume to Polymershapes ever turn out to be one of the luckiest days of my life. What I discovered was a job that developed into a life-altering career – the proverbial house to a home. I’ll assume you’re asking the same question I did when I walked through the door on day one, what’s a performance plastic? Imagine working on new bushings going into wind turbine development, high optic and coated materials that become the latest in heavy equipment window production, bullet resistant materials that keep many of our front line professionals safe or just being a part of the specification process for materials going into your favorite retailer. Imagine you get to do all this in a day and you get to do it with a great group of friends. Why did I choose to work at Polymershapes? I didn’t. Why did I choose to stay at Polymershapes? Because I wanted a career with fit, fulfillment and impact! Who wouldn’t want to change the world with a great group of friends!
One of my favorite things about working for Polymershapes is the company culture as a whole and at the branch level. Everyone I have had the opportunity to work with is focused on personal and professional growth and is so helpful and genuinely interested in assisting others in their development. I love working a sales role in the profit share model as well.
It eliminates a lot of unhealthy internal competition that is typical in an individual commission based sales role. Everyone is truly working as a team and it makes things more efficient and provides a higher level of customer service that sets us significantly above our competition. The company has great benefits and is genuinely supportive of and encourages personal and professional development. There are always trainings and educational opportunities aimed at professional development that cover diverse topics and strategies such as product knowledge, sales techniques, and creating value for our customers.
Why did I choose Polymershapes? Well, there are a ton of reasons but 3 major ones. The first being the people who make the up the company. From the moment I first found Shapes two years ago, every team member was more than willing to lend a hand. It didn’t matter if they had been in the business for two months or 30+ years; everyone shared advice, love for the company, and the experiences that have shaped their career.
Which leads to the second reason for choosing Shapes; my career path mattered. From my first time meeting the team, they wanted to know what type of skills I wanted to gain, where I wanted to take my career, and what I envisioned my future with the company to be. Polymershapes cares about developing a career. I was able to choose from various locations around the country and I chose Elkhart, Indiana. Having this type of care for my future made me feel right at home.
Lastly, the preparation provided for new employees to hit the ground running is second-to-none. I was able to complete a successful summer internship while in college and then join the team full-time post-graduation. Even now after being part of the Shapes family for a while, I am still learning everyday via team members, product training and hands-on experience with customers.
All in all, I couldn’t have made a better choice starting my career with Polymershapes. I go into the office everyday excited to see what new experience lies ahead.
