BioForward is reaching out to members to highlight their organizations through a new member profile feature to tell more of their stories. Teel Plastics agreed to be interviewed as a part of our efforts to heighten the awareness of our region and integrated health solutions approach.
About your organization:
Teel Plastics is a premier manufacturer of custom tubing and injection molded components in a range of materials for the medical and pharmaceutical markets, including high-temperature, water-sensitive, and custom-blended materials in PEEK, PEBA, PP, PE, and more. Teel coextrudes and prototypes multilayer constructions for demanding applications. In addition, Teel injection molds and extrudes diagnostic swab sticks and injection molds other components for the diagnostic market.
What do you find valuable about being a member of BioForward Wisconsin?
The opportunity to network and be part of a community of growing companies in Wisconsin is a great benefit for our organization. It seems like the extent of our local biotech companies is not known outside of the state, and BioForward Wisconsin is working hard to change that through various initiatives.
What are the key areas of or achievements by your organization that are impacting the state of Wisconsin and the overall biohealth industry?
We have seen enormous growth in our swab business over the past two years. While most of that was driven by COVID-19, we are seeing other companies with new diagnostic testing requirements approach us to assist with product development and manufacturing. The growth of other testing companies coming out of the pandemic has been huge.
What about the future of research, medical, technological innovation excites you the most?
The growth in diagnostic testing for a range of diseases is coming and it is going to be big. At Teel, we believe this wave of positive knowledge about the disease will bring major advancements in the quality of healthcare.
Why Wisconsin? What does Wisconsin (and/or Madison/Milwaukee) offer for your company and/or your/its families?
Teel is celebrating its 70th year in business in 2021 and we have been in the Baraboo area since the beginning. The quality of workforce and knowledge base in our state is fantastic and has been a cornerstone of our success. We have partnered with many organizations in Wisconsin to support our local community through charitable giving and causes our employees care about. We were recognized for these efforts as a leading company in the plastics industry nationwide in 2020.
What would you recommend about or say to others about Wisconsin’s biohealth industry and research institutions?
I want people outside of the industry and especially outside of Wisconsin to know how large and robust our biotech and biomedical industry is. We have many companies working on cutting-edge products, and they are supported by our world-class research institutions. Wisconsin is leader in this area and is a great place for those in the industry to consider starting a business and those in the workforce to consider.
What is one thing others may not know about your organization?
We were originally founded as a solution for a biotech problem. The company got its start making artificial insemination kits using plastic for the livestock industry in one of the earliest biotech markets.
