Meet Ralph Bowling

We are honored to introduce our teammate, Ralph Bowling, who has been a valued member of the Vantage Plastics Team since June 2000. Ralph joined us at the age of nineteen, and over his twenty-four-year career, he has gained a wealth of institutional knowledge, making him one of our most valuable assets across multiple areas.

Ralph reflects on his journey, saying, “I’ve worked in nearly every position related to the manufacturing process.” Starting as a machine operator, he quickly mastered every machine in the plant. After five years in this role, Ralph advanced to assistant supervisor and then spent a year and a half in the tool modification area, where he enhanced tool performance. He later became a shift team leader, a role he excelled in for several years before being promoted to plantwide production manager. Most recently, Ralph has been appointed as our Continuous Improvement Coordinator.

In his new role, Ralph shares, “I’ve really embraced this position, which involves a lot of training. I absolutely enjoy sharing my experience with the operators, listening to their concerns, and helping them find solutions. Since we operate a variety of machines, there can be quirks between them, and sometimes solutions are as simple as pointing these out to an operator.” Ralph adds, “I love it when people come up to me after training and thank me for the knowledge that helps them achieve better results.” Ralph’s training sessions cover Kaizen set-up efficiency, 5S, lean manufacturing, Thermoforming 101, and housekeeping during new hire onboarding.

When asked what he enjoys most about working at Vantage Plastics, Ralph says, “Vantage has provided me with some of the best mentors I’ve had in life. Paul and Scott were tough but fair, pushing me to figure things out on my own. I love working for a company that fosters a sense of community and family.” Ralph also appreciates the constant change within the company as it pursues new opportunities. Recently, he has dedicated significant time to helping the crews at our new Bay City facility get operations running smoothly.

Outside of work, Ralph has lived in the Standish area for several years. He is happily married to his wife, Hope, who is an administrator with a home care service. Together, they have a fifteen-year-old son, Ralph Jr., who aspires to a career in computers or aerospace. In his free time, Ralph is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hunting, fishing, trail riding, and golf. “Bow hunting and ice fishing for walleye on Saginaw Bay are my passions,” Ralph says. Golf is quickly becoming another favorite, with Ralph hitting the course three to four times a week.

In a unique revelation, Ralph shares, “I’m blind in one eye due to a hunting accident when I was twenty. It was purely an accident that happened while rabbit hunting, just nine months after I started at Vantage. I took three months to recover before returning to work.”

We are proud to share this brief story about Ralph Bowling. As a dedicated member of the Vantage Plastics Team, Ralph continues to play a crucial role in helping us fulfill our mission of forming better lives, forming solutions, and forming sustainable futures.

Experience the thriving work environment at Vantage Plastics, where positivity and professionalism flourish. Our exceptional team is the cornerstone of our success, and we invite you to be a part of it. Don’t miss out—apply today and join the Vantage Plastics team!