Buying a plastics or chemical manufacturer in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida

• Supply agreements with repeat customers across several industries, so a slump in boatbuilding or construction doesn't idle the plant.
• Pricing that passes raw material changes through to customers, ideally written into the agreements.
• Well-maintained presses and equipment with spare capacity, and spare parts on hand for the machines that matter most.
• Clear, signed records of which molds and formulas belong to whom.
• A quality system and the certifications customers require, such as ISO 9001, or medical device standards for medical work.
• Process technicians and a maintenance lead with years at the company.
• A clean environmental and safety record, with permits and reports kept current.
• Products or formulas of its own, which earn more than contract work.

• An environmental site assessment of the property, especially where chemicals are stored or spills could have happened. Lenders often require one for manufacturing sites.
• Permits, inspection reports and any violation notices.
• How much of sales goes to the largest customers, and the terms of supply agreements, including how much notice a customer must give before moving work.
• A mold list, signed off by customers, showing who owns each mold and what condition it's in. Worn molds may need costly repair soon.
• Raw material suppliers, and how price changes are passed on.
• Machine age, maintenance logs and energy costs. Molding and extrusion use a lot of electricity.
• Safety records, including injury logs and any serious incidents.
• Product liability insurance, and any claims involving parts that failed in customers' products.

• Who are your largest customers, and do you have written supply agreements with them?
• Which molds and formulas belong to the company, and which belong to customers?
• What do you do when resin or other raw material prices go up?
• What permits does the plant hold, and have there been any inspections or violations?
• What chemicals are stored on site, and how much of each?
• Who runs production and maintenance day to day?
• How close is the plant to full capacity?
• Which products carry EPA, FDACS or DBPR registrations or permits, and whose name are they in?

This region covers Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, Baker and Putnam counties: Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, Orange Park, Fleming Island, Green Cove Springs, Fernandina Beach, Yulee, Macclenny and Palatka. Jacksonville merged with most of Duval County in 1968, which makes it the largest city by land area in the lower 48 states.

The economy leans on logistics, the Navy and financial services. Logistics runs through JAXPORT, major rail lines and the meeting of Interstates 95 and 10. The Navy has Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport. Insurance and health care matter too. St. Augustine, founded by the Spanish in 1565, and Amelia Island draw steady tourism. Trucking and logistics firms, the building trades, medical practices and home services all fit this market.

Northeast Florida is less seasonal than South or Southwest Florida, with fewer winter residents and more year-round employers. Direct hurricane landfalls have been less common here than on other parts of the coast, but storms still bring flooding along the St. Johns River and the beaches, so check insurance costs and flood zones.

Military families bring skilled workers and working spouses into the labor pool, though they also move on when orders change. St. Johns, Clay and Nassau have added the most new homes, and companies serving those suburbs have grown with them. Georgia is close, and some companies here serve customers across the state line. Work in Georgia may need Georgia licenses, so ask how much revenue comes from there and who holds those licenses.