1965
The Founding
Brentwood Plastics, Inc., was founded in Reading, Pennsylvania, on August 25, 1965. At that time, the company was located behind the Reading Municipal Airport in a small rented facility. In the early days of Brentwood, the shop was full of small, custom plastics jobs. Manufacturing equipment included two homemade formers, one for light gauge projects and one for heavy gauge. Roughly a half dozen employees worked with these manual machines to serve the custom industry.

1970
The Sale of Brentwood Plastics
Brentwood was sold to the Dana Corporation on March 31, 1970, just four and a half years after the company’s founding. Dana was, and still is, a worldwide supplier of steel powertrain components for the automotive industry. At the time, steel was remaining steady in the stock market but plastic, a newer material, was rising in value. Dana noticed this trend and decided to invest in a plastics company – Brentwood Plastics.

1971
Establishing a Headquarters
The year following the Dana Corporation’s acquisition of Brentwood, the operation was relocated from the airport barrack to a larger building at 610 Morgantown Road (fondly called “610”) in Reading, Pennsylvania. The facility housed a number of functions, including manufacturing, and served as Brentwood’s headquarters until 2014.

1971
Custom Thermoforming
Custom thermoforming was the genesis of the Brentwood spirit: we took on any project – big or small, simple or complex – to serve our customers’ needs. We were often approached by customers with specific challenges and innovated their solutions.

As Brentwood began to make a name for itself, a lot of time was spent learning and testing new materials in order to understand which ones worked best for specific applications. This expertise allowed us to streamline material and process selection, paving the way for expansions in both products and capabilities.

1971
Transportation
Brentwood was introduced to the transportation industry under the influence of the Dana Corporation. Dana had been making drivetrain parts for heavy-duty trucks and realized that Brentwood’s thermoforming capabilities could be used to expand the business by making plastic components for trucks and public transportation vehicles.

Brentwood’s involvement in the transportation industry initially included forming automobile fenders, heavy truck splash guards, and railcar seats and panels. Today, as plastic components are increasingly used as an alternative to steel, we are able to thermoform large parts for truck exteriors, such as bumpers, and railcar components like interior panels and window masks.

1973
Cooling Tower
Brentwood entered the cooling tower industry in 1973, not knowing the immense impact this decision would have on our business or the industry. We began making plastic fill packs and drift eliminators to enhance the cooling process, and by 1996, acquired a majority of the domestic market share.

Over time, Brentwood was able to develop strong industry knowledge, which led to a number of revolutionary innovations. To name a few, vertical-fluted fills were introduced to minimize fouling for dirty-water-source applications, mechanical assembly technology was developed to eliminate the need for gluing and to protect the environment, and the first crossflow-specific products were produced to increase efficiency in crossflow tower configurations.

Today, Brentwood dominates this market, priding ourselves on our dedication to research and development and quality standards.

1975
The Rye Family Purchases Brentwood
Over the course of four years from 1971 to 1975, Brentwood’s Plant Manager, Palle Rye, increased the employee base to 35 people and hit his first million in sales. Simultaneously, many of the Dana employees involved in the Brentwood purchase retired and new management decided to sell the company. Palle and his wife, Rita, saw the potential in Brentwood and did not want it to be broken apart, so they purchased the company with the help of American Bank and Trust on December 11, 1975.

Several decades later, Palle’s son, Peter, became Brentwood’s new leader. This took place on April 1, 2010, and was a meaningful decision to move forward as a family business.

1977
Expanding Manufacturing
In 1977, Brentwood purchased a property at 620 Arlington Street, adjoining the headquarters, to provide the necessary space for our manufacturing efforts. Many products for the cooling tower and water/wastewater industries were produced in this facility. Over the next few decades as new plants opened across the country, the Arlington location became a warehousing facility.

1978
Battery
Brentwood officially entered the industrial battery business in 1978 and became a major player in the industry once we began supplying plate wrap material, or Koroseal. This product, which is used to prolong battery life by preventing corrosion of the internal lead plates, was often in short supply to battery manufacturers because it was so difficult to produce.

When asked by General Battery to develop a solution, we learned the punch and die process for creating the perforations in the material and decided to manufacture our own roll stock so that our process would not hinge on unreliable suppliers. This decision allowed Brentwood to break away from the competition, developing a vertically integrated, closed-loop system that is still in operation today.

1978
Medical
In 1978, Brentwood began producing packaging for a medical device manufacturer. We would bring their devices to our shop, create designs to secure them, and ensure that they could be sterilely packaged. Many of our early medical packaging customers supplied initial design ideas but would rely on us to fine-tune and develop a manufacturable product.

Over time, we made a strong commitment to the medical market. Growing from a small clean room with one or two custom-built machines, Brentwood now boasts a manufacturing space of over 30,000 square feet and has improved to an ISO Class 7 environment with both thermoforming and injection molding capabilities. Much like the early days, we continue to provide extensive product and process design services to support our medical customers.

1981
Brentwood Changes Its Name
Brentwood’s business was expanding across state lines and we learned that there were several other companies in the United States called Brentwood Plastics. In order to differentiate ourselves, we opted to alter the name of the company and become Brentwood Industries.

Brentwood Plastics, Inc., officially became Brentwood Industries, Inc., on July 2, 1981.

1987
Brentwood Opens a West-Coast Facility
Brentwood was in need of an assembly and distribution facility on the west coast of the United States. Coincidentally, one of Brentwood’s business associates expressed interest in moving from Pennsylvania to Arizona at that time. He agreed to run our west coast operations and we soon after rented a facility in Glendale, Arizona. This facility was so successful that space became limited, so Brentwood opted to build a new plant in Surprise, Arizona, in 2012.

1987
Tube Settlers
The first Brentwood tube settler modules were manufactured in 1987. Having mastered the production process for plastic sheets used in the cooling tower market, we felt that we could be successful forming a similar media product and made a simple tool to create the first tube settler sheets.

We quickly learned that the standard cross-corrugated module pattern did not yield the best performance and moved to a more efficient, unidirectional tube design. In 1993, we patented our unique tube settler assembly method that featured perfect alignment of flat sheets with corrugations on adjacent modules. Brentwood also introduced the blue color, a trait that our tubes are still known for today.

1989
Vertical Integration
The Lebanon facility was opened in 1989 as the first step in making Brentwood a vertically integrated business. We knew that we would gain an edge on our competition if we were capable of producing our own raw materials and set out to develop a calendering line. The addition of this competency increased efficiency and allowed us to monitor the quality of material being used to manufacture our products. Today, the Lebanon facility runs two calender and seven extrusion lines, producing about 50 percent of the raw material required to manufacture Brentwood’s domestic water, wastewater, and cooling tower products.

1989
Wheelbarrow
Brentwood began making plastic wheelbarrow pans in 1989, at the request of a farm-owning customer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. That project sparked the idea to create several standard wheelbarrow designs and produce them commercially for other customers. Initially, numerous lines were produced at different thicknesses, ranging from a lightweight version to the heavy-duty model.

In 2013, we decided to focus solely on our most popular wheelbarrow design. We felt that other suppliers were selling the “good” and “better” versions of the commercial wheelbarrow, but we wanted to produce only the best. The market responded enthusiastically, affectionately referring to them as “Brentwoods,” and today their following is stronger than ever.

1989
Trickling Filter
In the late 80s, Brentwood entered the wastewater industry in order to maintain a competitive edge. Many of our cooling tower competitors were involved in the wastewater market and we were positive that we could be successful there, as well. At that time, trickling filters were beginning to utilize plastic media to increase surface area and make treatment more efficient.

After winning the largest wastewater treatment job in North America in 1992, Brentwood experienced rapid growth and continued to innovate in this market. AccuGrid was developed to protect the top layer of media, AccuPier was engineered to allow air flow through the system without requiring permanent concrete beams, and in 2007, Brentwood set an industry standard for media deflection. Today, Brentwood remains dominant in this industry.

1994
Brentwood Adds Southern Manufacturing Location
In early 1994, Brentwood purchased a facility in Hope, Arkansas. We found the site in Hope as we began exploring new options for a plant that could serve the southern region of the United States with access to the Gulf.

The Hope plant received their first thermoforming machine in 1995 and quickly adapted to learn the manufacturing process. Today, the facility’s capabilities have been widely expanded to include nine thermoforming machines and seven gluing lines. By increasing efficiencies and reducing costs along the way, Hope has supported and enabled the growth of Brentwood’s business in this region.

1995
Rapid Growth Leads to New Facility in Martinsburg, WV
In 1995, the cooling tower, trickling filter, and tube settler product lines were experiencing rapid growth and we needed more space to expand manufacturing. We opened a manufacturing and assembly facility in Martinsburg, West Virginia, to handle the added volume.

All machines from Reading were relocated to Martinsburg and over the years, the facility has become increasingly efficient. The plant often supplies PVC sheets to Brentwood’s other locations and is our primary export facility. Several patents and automated technologies were created and tested in Martinsburg, all of which contributed to securing a successful future for Brentwood.

2001
Brentwood Builds Its Largest Manufacturing Facility
In 2001, Brentwood received state support to expand the business and worked with the Greater Berks Development Fund to boost industry in Reading. The new building, often referred to as 621 (so called because of its address at 621 Brentwood Drive), features 200,000 square feet of manufacturing space and was constructed directly across the street from Brentwood’s existing facility.

Today, the 621 facility hosts heavy gauge thermoforming, light gauge thermoforming, injection molding, calendering, and perforation, supporting all of Brentwood’s product lines.

2001
Global Expansion
In 2001, Brentwood opened a manufacturing and distribution facility in Rayong, Thailand. The decision to expand business on a global scale occurred after gaining international recognition from several large projects completed in Southeast Asia from the late 90s to the early 2000s. Thailand was chosen as an ideal location for our facility because the area boasted high-quality raw material suppliers and a strong port system.

The facility was very successful and the business quickly outgrew its rented space. This led to the construction of a Brentwood-owned building in 2007, which positioned us for continued international growth. Today, Brentwood Asia is thriving and providing support to a key market segment

2003
Polychem
Brentwood acquired Polychem Systems in 2003 to expand our offering to the wastewater industry. The Polychem non-metallic chain and flight components fit nicely into the Brentwood product portfolio as the industry was beginning to move away from steel chain and sprockets, adopting plastic as a lighter, corrosion-resistant material.

Over the years, Polychem pushed industry standards, inventing the first non-metallic head shaft, developing heavy duty flight options for wide tank applications, and incorporating the SmartGuard monitoring system into the overall collector system design. These innovations ensured the brand’s continued success. Today, there are roughly 20,000 Polychem chain and flight systems in operation across 66 different countries.

2006
AccuVent
Brentwood began manufacturing AccuVent in 2006 when we noticed a gap in the construction market for a thermally dynamic ventilation product. Prior to the invention of AccuVent and similar products, most builders and insulators were using cardboard to seal off the soffit boundary, but this practice was very inefficient. AccuVent offered a solution that enclosed the attic space and sealed off the boundary effectively while also facilitating ample air circulation.

Unfortunately, the release of AccuVent directly coincided with the economic crisis in the United States and the crash of the housing market. But when the market rebounded, the product line grew to meet customer requests for specific applications, including the introduction four new models: High Energy, Cathedral Ceiling, AccuBlock, and AccuVent for Manufactured Homes.

2007
European Facility
Brentwood’s first sales office in Europe was opened in the Czech Republic in 2007. Europe’s economy and marketplace were similar in size to those of the United States and we felt that we could be successful in gaining part of the market share. The sales office performed well over a three-year period, so the Brentwood Europe facility was opened in Horovice, a small town outside Prague, in 2010. Initially dedicated to the manufacture of cooling tower fill and components, this facility has expanded to include the production of water and wastewater products and offers cost benefits for the company by allowing us to locally service the European market.

2007
Stormwater
Brentwood entered the stormwater industry in 2007 after observing the need for an underground product that would effectively manage stormwater runoff. Having previously repurposed crossflow media with much success in the wastewater industry, we began to market the product to a wider stormwater audience.

We quickly learned that cleaning and maintenance were the top priorities for these systems. In an effort to give customers what they wanted, Brentwood developed the StormTank Module – a product with an open design that offers large void space, HS-25 strength, and most importantly at the time, the ability to be easily maintained. Today, the Module continues to be our flagship stormwater product even as the line continues to grow with the successful additions of the StormTank Shield and StormTank Pack.

2008
AccuFAS
The AccuFAS submerged fixed-film system was developed to build on Brentwood’s success within the wastewater market. AccuFAS utilizes the same type of structured-sheet media as trickling filters and cooling towers, but it is specially engineered for submerged applications. Essentially, by submerging the media in a wastewater tank and using air diffusers, AccuFAS functions as a turbocharged trickling filter, working to reduce the pollutants in the water to an extremely low level.

In 2012, Brentwood developed a mobile testing lab equipped with advanced instrumentation and computer control to run full pilot tests of the AccuFAS system. This led to a number of successful installations, and we are optimistic about the product line’s continued growth.

2012
SedVac
Brentwood developed SedVac in an effort to provide water treatment plant operators with a reliable sediment removal system that would clean the basin floor, resist clogging, and waste less water than traditional pipe-system designs.

SedVac recently went head-to-head against a traditional system at a plant in South Carolina. For nearly a year, we measured discharge sludge concentration, flow rates, and run cycles between SedVac and the competition. SedVac removed twice as much sludge in half the time, wasting fifty percent less water than the traditional header system.

2014
New Headquarters
With steady business growth comes the need for additional space. For this reason, Brentwood purchased new office and warehousing space at 500 Spring Ridge Drive in 2014. This facility became Brentwood’s new headquarters, housing many corporate functions as well as the cooling tower and water/wastewater sales and operations teams.

Purchasing this facility also meant a difficult decision needed to be made regarding Brentwood’s previous headquarters at 610 Morgantown Road. That building served the company well for 45 years and was home to many innovations and memories; we simply outgrew the space. Fortunately, we were able to sell the property to another local, family business in the hope that they will honor its history and take good care of the facility.

2014
Brentwood Adds Injection Molding Competency
Brentwood purchased the 80,000 square-foot facility at 825 Morgantown Road in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 2014. This purchase enabled Brentwood to expand injection molding manufacturing capabilities following the acquisition of Integrity Plastics, Inc., in Denver, Pennsylvania. Since the acquisition, all machines and employees have been relocated to Reading where custom molding operations continue. Further machines, including dual 770-ton presses with robotic part handling systems, were added to accommodate large parts for Brentwood’s stormwater and cooling tower segments.

2015
Brentwood Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Brentwood celebrated its 50th anniversary on August 25, 2015. Following the anniversary date, each Brentwood location hosted its own unique celebration – ranging from a 60s-themed throwback party to soccer matches and basketball games – to thank employees for their hard work and enjoy the family-style camaraderie that Brentwood has always encouraged.

Additionally, a commemorative book detailing our 50 years in business was self-published by our marketing team and provided to each employee.

Here’s to the next 50 years!

2015
Entering the Indian Power Market
In recent years, India amended its private investment policies. Brentwood recognized this window of opportunity and opened an Indian sales office in 2013. Our primary focus is the Indian power market, which accounts for about 25 percent of the world’s total power growth. To break into that market, Brentwood installed cooling tower demonstration projects with the largest power producers in India to show how our products and services can improve their tower performance and bring them value.

To further the potential of this opportunity, Brentwood also purchased land and built a manufacturing facility, located in the Gujarat state. Production began in late 2015 with the expectation that the Indian facility will take our international business to the next level.

Present
Custom Solutions
Over the past 50 years, Brentwood’s Custom Thermoforming division has evolved into Custom Solutions. As we developed initiatives to vertically integrate, made strategic acquisitions, and added key personnel to our staff, Brentwood’s knowledge of plastics extended well past thermoforming.

From custom-blending materials in our Lebanon calendering and extrusion facility to testing the performance of finished parts, we became experts in all aspects of the plastics manufacturing process. Additionally, Brentwood took the next step into injection molding to further integrate our processes and offer more solutions to our customers. We are now able to accommodate a wider range of run volumes and source multiple assembly pieces in-house. Our aim is to continue taking on projects of any size and scope while diversifying our capabilities to address the complex challenges facing our customers.

Brentwood Industries, Inc. magazines