Archive: Mar 2014

Seasonality in the World of Manufacturing

Leave a Comment

While most of the country is worrying about staying warm and digging out from another polar vortex, it’s spring and summer time at Universal Polymer! Well, don’t get us wrong, it is still very (very!) cold here in Ohio. However, this is the time of year orders for plastic and rubber extrusions come flooding in from companies that specialize in warmer weather products. That is the thing about the start of every year, while there is a manufacturing and construction lull during the holidays, it disappears the second the calendar flips to January and February. So, who are the companies and industries that are working so hard to plan for the long hot days of summer?

The lawn care and lawn mower industry is one such industry in full manufacturing mode. According to experts, consumer lawn and garden equipment is worth staggering $5 billion and close to 68 million American households maintain their own lawns. As you can imagine, some of the biggest names in the industry are currently running 24-7 to be ready to satiate this overwhelming demand. If you look at a lawnmower, you can see that rubber molding, and rubber and plastic extrusions, play a major role in keeping them running at peak performance.

The outdoor equipment industry is starting to slow around May, which is when the construction season is just being ramped up. The construction industry, which was worth $900 billion in 2013, must take full advantage of the warmer weather to get projects started and completed before the cold weather returns.

For us at Universal Polymer, it is critical that we time these seasonal shifts carefully. In order to maximize profits and keep our customers happy year in and year out, we make sure to expedite production during the busier times. So, never fear, no matter what time of year it is, Universal Polymer is prepared to handle what ever you can throw at us!