KeyPlex Builds, Opens New Facility
January 19, 2012 
In an era when companies often move operations outside the country to source cheaper labor, it is refreshing when companies grow and keep jobs here at home. This is the case with KeyPlex, manufacturer of plant nutrition materials, which has experienced significant growth in recent years.
The company outgrew its original plant in Wauchula, FL, so KeyPlex owner Gerald O’Connor began construction of a new state-of-the-art facility just outside of town last spring in the Hardee Commerce Park. KeyPlex and the facility employs 20+ people in Florida.
“Made in USA is important to us,” says O’Connor. “With KeyPlex, it was a no brainer to build here in Florida. You may think globally but stay local and we work very hard to be local not just here but everywhere we do business.”
The plant is designed with the latest technology that can provide the highest quality delivery of all KeyPlex’s product line. “Quality is the single most important thing for us at KeyPlex,” says O’Connor. “If you lack quality, you do not have a business as the customer will not return. With 17 products, 12 countries, and 49 states to service, automation and simplifying operations becomes very important. The plant was designed for ease of use (turnkey) and quality control under one roof. We are able to rinse, wash lines, and switch from gallons to liters to change products in less than 10 minutes where in the old plant it was half a morning.”
In addition, to high-efficiency design, KeyPlex also is changing packaging of products and its delivery of bulk systems. Bulk containers will now be delivered to growers in a SpaceKraft box. These containers are lower cost, and more importantly disposable, which helps avoid any potential contamination of product in reusable containers.
O’Connor says to stay competitive, companies must always move forward. That’s why since he purchased the company, he’s focused on growth in the U.S. and abroad. “Since 2007, we are now opening in our 12th market (Brazil),” he says. “This has been driven by our customers. It’s a great following and growing by the day, because we are in business for our customers and we are proud of them, too.”