Dennis Hagan named SPE Thermoformer of the Year
Canadian Plastics
Human Resources Plastics ProcessesA 50-year industry veteran, Hagan is the owner and president of Hagans Plastics, headquartered in Grand Prairie, Tex.
Dennis Hagan. Photo Credit: SPE
The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Thermoforming Division has named Dennis Hagan as its Thermoformer of the Year for 2023.
Hagan is the owner and president of thermoformer Hagans Plastics Co., headquartered in Grand Prairie, Tex.
Hagan began working in the thermoforming industry 50 years ago, when his father opened Hagans Plastics in 1973. “Eager to learn, Dennis took on all tasks, and as his experience grew, so did his level of input into company decisions,” SPE officials said. “When Hagans Plastics earned a contract to produce the interiors of the command-and-control aircraft, Dennis got his first shot at thermoforming aerospace parts, which later became significant.”
Hagan became the owner and president of Hagans Plastics in 1996, and oversaw an immediate company expansion, as additional thermoforming and CNC machines were purchased to meet the increased demand for parts. “While the business grew across all sectors, the aerospace industry took notice of the company’s capabilities,” SPE said. “In 2011, Recaro Seating, a long-time customer and German company, presented Dennis and Hagans Plastics with its first-ever American Supplier of the Year Award.”
In 2016, Hagans Plastics was approached by National Non-Woven, a company that had a new type of composite material that might be suitable for thermoforming. “Hagans Plastics successfully formed complex parts from this innovative material [and was] awarded the exclusive right to process this new material,” SPE said. “A military project was evaluating and considering this material, and after additional testing, Hagans Plastics was awarded the contract.” This material and part for a Chinook helicopter won Gold in the 2021 SPE Thermoforming Parts Competition, for parts produced with automation and new technology.
A longtime SPE and Thermoforming Division member, Hagan also oversaw the donation of a thermoforming machine and other equipment to a local Grand Prairie high school training program.
The award will be presented during SPE’s Thermoforming Conference Awards Gala, held on Oct. 25 in conjunction with the annual SPE Thermoforming Conference in Cleveland, Ohio.
