Jeremy Dorward

Real. World. Skills… As a native of Lycoming County, I grew up hearing about the opportunities that were available to those who went to college there. Both my brother and my sister went to PCT and gained valuable real-world skills that applied to their fields.

As a student in the Plastics and Polymer Technology major, I completed multiple internships. One of these internships involved making metal injection molded parts which required post-processing on CNC machines. I was able to use the CNC machines as well as programmable robotic arms and it sparked an interest in learning more about automated manufacturing and machining.

I combine polymer science and machining often at my job. I formulate polymer concentrates and colorants using my plastics knowledge and have designed multiple dies, fixtures, and spare components for our extrusion and injection molding machines.

Colortech does not take a one-size-fits-all approach to hiring and managing employees. They value the unique skillsets of current and potential employees very highly. This allows for a degree of independence and individuality that is mutually beneficial to both the company and the employee.

Colortech is making progress in accelerating the growth of our products in the sustainable plastics market. Since 2018, we have grown our bio-based polymer production by 300% and our post-consumer resin usage by 30%. We have also recently joined the Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition, which is a program that allows companies to track their carbon footprint.

As scientific advancements get made in the fields of AI, robotics, and sustainable polymeric materials, the next generation of engineers can combine these with traditional skills to improve processing, reduce waste, and innovate outdated practices.

My favorite project has been improving processing on our QA Lab’s injection molding machines. By combining the machining and plastics skills I gained at PCT, I was able to design and create new components as well as modify processing programs. These changes reduced our scrap rate from 50% to ~2% and lowered our time to complete testing from over 2 hours to 25 minutes.

I would encourage anyone with an interest in plastics processing or polymer science to apply to Penn College. The hands-on skills combined with scientific knowledge have been indispensable in the years since I entered the industry. I also encourage current students and those considering becoming a plastics student to explore fields related to plastics, such as Machining, Automated Manufacturing, Robotics, CAD, and Industrial Design as they are all interwoven.