Our History - Drug Plastics & Glass

The 1960s

Drug Plastics & Glass Company, Inc. began as a wholesaler of plastic prescription vials when Fred & Suzanne Biesecker established the company in 1963 in Boyertown, PA. It was a humble beginning with operations and warehousing conducted in the basement of their small, rented home.

Founder Suzanne Biesecker working in her Boyertown home just as the business was getting started.
Founder Fred Biesecker differentiated his small wholesale business by purchasing injection molds and having his plastic vials manufactured from these molds. This ensured that his growing customer base had a guaranteed source of supply.
Drug Plastics purchases the Drug Division of Ball Brothers Company of Muncy, IN. This expands the business to include glass bottles and vials.
Inventory was housed in 5 different locations in the Boyertown area as the business outgrew the basement of the Bieseckers’ home.
The Hygeia Nurser line became part of the Drug Plastics offering after the purchase of the Drug Division of Ball Brothers Company of Muncy, IN.
The Biesecker children grew up with the family business. Here is a young Lissa Biesecker helping to pack boxes of bottles.
The Biesecker children began helping with the family business at a young age. Here is Rick Biesecker helping to load boxes filled with a shipment of bottles.

The 1970s

A new manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters is constructed in Boyertown, PA. The first plastic bottle is blow molded at the new facility on April 19, 1971. The assets of Delaware Valley Molded Products are consolidated with Drug Plastics.

Drug Plastics transitions from a local company, in many cases referring to itself as Boyertown Bottles, to a nationally known corporation. It builds a team of sales representatives who interact with potential customers within the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetics industries.
Growth in the 1970s results in six different expansion projects at the corporate headquarters in Boyertown, PA. Additionally, a second manufacturing facility was constructed in Kittanning, PA.
Product development targeted towards the pharmaceutical market fuels growth. Families of plastic wide-mouth pharmaceutical rounds, penicillin rounds, ointment jars, among others, were created as alternatives to traditional glass packaging.

The 1980s

Drug Plastics completes a comprehensive expansion and remodeling of its corporate headquarters in Boyertown, PA prior to celebrating its 25th anniversary.

New manufacturing facilities are constructed in Spartanburg, SC and Valley City, ND.
Drug Plastics adds the capability to manufacture PET bottles to its existing line of HDPE, LDPE, and PP bottles.
A mold fabrication company is established in Boyertown, PA to construct new molds and maintain existing molds for Drug Plastics and its customers.

The 1990s

The corporation begins the decade with four bottle manufacturing facilities and ends with six facilities due to the addition of new plants in Oxford, IN and Elysburg, PA.

Fred Biesecker is awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society of Plastics Engineers for his contributions to the plastics industry. Joining him are Lissa, Suzanne, Britta, and Rick Biesecker.
The resin silos of the manufacturing facilities are wrapped with yellow ribbons to honor our troops engaged in Operation Desert Storm.
The Drug Plastics sales team routinely attends worldwide exhibitions to show off the growing bottle offer. This decade saw the introduction of the company tagline describing itself as, “A Family of Perfect Quality Bottlemakers.”

The 2000s

The resin silos of the manufacturing facilities are adorned with large USA letters to honor those who were killed or injured during the 911 attacks on New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA.

The Biesecker family – Lissa, Suzanne, Fred, and Rick – in the 2000s.
A comprehensive remodeling and upgrading of the corporate headquarters brought the Boyertown campus into the 21st century.
To enhance the product offering Drug Plastics acquires Top Seal Corporation, a closure manufacturer with manufacturing facilities in Phoenix, AZ and Edinburgh, IN. Top Seal would eventually become Drug Plastics Closures.

The 2010s

Now in its sixth decade, Drug Plastics has become the premium packaging manufacturer for healthcare, wellness, and lifestyle brands who desire the very best plastic bottles and closures.

Rick Biesecker, CEO, and Lissa Biesecker Longacre, President, currently lead the Drug Plastics team. Their mother and co-founder, Suzanne Biesecker, is Chairman of the Board.
Drug Plastics celebrates its 50th anniversary.