Process Displays Celebrates 75th Anniversary

Process Displays Inc. celebrated its 75th anniversary with a “Taste of Wisconsin” Open House with food, drink, and entertainment at its company headquarters in New Berlin, Wis., Sept. 22. The P-O-P company specializes in the design and production of custom, permanent retail displays and fixtures for brand marketers and retail chains.

"Our roots are in manufacturing, but major clients have pushed us over the years to be a total solution provider, which meant building strong creative and logistics capabilities," said President Bob Zanotti. "We’re able to manage this because we have highly knowledgeable, experienced, and dedicated people. We still have employees from the '60s and '70s."

Process Displays has partnered with national brand marketers and retailers to build brand awareness and sales at retail. Early work saw the firm helping Exxon put a “Tiger in your Tank,” creating Phillip Morris’s “Marlboro Man” at retail, and advertising at retail for beer brands that “made Milwaukee famous.” Today, Process Displays boasts a client list of more than 100, including Wisconsin-based companies such as Miller Brewing, Harley-Davidson, and Briggs & Stratton along with other national brands such as Philip Morris, Energizer, Western Union, Kraft, Wrigley’s, Robert Bosch Tool, Walgreen’s, and Absolut Vodka. The company also works extensively with agencies such as Madden Communications, G2 Worldwide, and The Integer Group.

The company's design work has consistently earned industry recognition. This year, its Captain Morgan’s Parrot Bay Rum display, designed and produced for Diageo, was a finalist for Point-of-Purchase Advertising International's Display of the Year.

Process Displays has maintained multiple internal manufacturing capabilities since its founding. It moved from Milwaukee to become the first occupant of the New Berlin industrial park in 1967. The New Berlin manufacturing plant performs screen printing, vacuum forming, plastic fabrication, finishing, and assembly, while a separate New Berlin facility handles logistics.

In recent years, Process Displays has developed expertise in sourcing products and components abroad. This year, it formalized its relationship with a network of Asian factories with a division called Process Asia. This allows the company to increase foreign production controls and optimally source projects to the most efficient source or combination of sources, whether internal manufacturing, local suppliers, or foreign suppliers.

“Our customers are global, sophisticated purchasing companies, so competing globally became a competitive necessity,” said Don Heyrman, vice president of finance. “We don’t view foreign sourcing as a threat to our internal manufacturing or local manufacturing suppliers. Our shop and our local suppliers are as busy as ever. Global sourcing has presented new, exciting growth opportunities.”

Process Displays was founded by James Coffey as a screen-printing signmaker in 1929. He passed the reins to his son, James Coffey Jr., who owned and managed the company from the 1960s until his retirement in the 1990s. In 2000, Coffey put the company up for sale and it was purchased by its current private ownership group.

“When the company sold in 2000, it was a stable company in a stable industry with talented employees and a strong client base,” said Zanotti. “In the early years, growth was never the battle cry because it didn’t have to be. The company had stable major clients that helped it consistently perform. Client retention was almost 100%. This sound business strategy proved successful for many decades, but we wanted to see what could happen if we promoted a growth-oriented culture.”

The company acquired a small Chicago-based display company in 2001 and has invested in the personnel required to support organic new business growth. This strategy is paying off, according to Zanotti. “Despite a depressed economy and a serious downturn in the advertising industry over the past few years, Process Displays has experienced significant growth. The company has retained its core clients, added new major accounts, and nearly doubled its pre-2000 size.

“Our company has changed over the years, but the goal of Process Displays has never wavered. We must remain focused on helping our clients produce sales at retail. If we listen carefully and change with the needs of our clients, I’m sure the next 75 years will be just as rewarding and exciting.”

Process Displays Inc.
16333 W. Rogers Drive
New Berlin, WI 53151
262-782-3600 or 800-533-1764
www.pdisplays.com