Tag Archive: Universal Polymer & Rubber

Manufacturing in America: Universal Polymer & Rubber

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What is the state of manufacturing in America? This question has been on our minds for some time now, and after reading articles and reports on the subject, we decided to take a closer look by talking to some of the men and women on the front lines of the industry. The following interview with John Zielinski, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Universal Polymer & Rubber, is the first in our “Manufacturing in America” series. The goal of this series is to highlight some of the manufacturing challenges and triumphs that are occurring right here in our backyards.

For context, Universal Polymer & Rubber is a privately-held company that was started in Middlefield, Ohio in 1970. Universal Polymer manufactures rubber molded parts, rubber extruded parts, and plastic extruded parts, and supplies them to a range of industries around the world. We sat down with John last month to talk about the past, present, and future of Universal Polymer. Here’s what we learned.

To start things off, can you tell me a little bit about who you are and how you got to be where you are today?

Sure. I’ve always been in manufacturing. I’ve been in a number of different industries: on the metal side of things, metal stamping, the foundry business, forging, and part fabrication. I actually ran a company that made wheels and mounted tires for off-road applications as well as trailer applications. Then, in the late 90s, early 2000s, I got into the rubber side of business, ran a compounder, and actually had my own business as an independent rep, and then in 2005, Universal was one of my principals, and their president came to me and asked me to take over their sales. We did that in 2005, and in the last 12 years, we’ve tripled our sales, both organically and through acquisitions.

That’s incredible growth! I saw your recent acquisition of Crest on your website—congrats to you.

Thank you.

When it comes to Universal Polymer, you’re definitely on an upswing. I’m trying to reconcile this happy success story with some of what I was reading. This Economist article from the other day talks about a shortage of skilled workers. Is Universal Polymer facing any challenges in that department?

Yes we are. We face the same challenges at various levels as some of the companies probably cited in The Economist. Some of our skilled and experienced workers are rubber extrusion operators, press operators, and even in general labor, there’s a shortage of workers because there are so many jobs open. Our press room, for example, is hard work, and it can get very warm in the summer. People who are looking for a cushy position or an easy job simply don’t last in that environment. There’s definitely a shortage of labor. We’re a group of six manufacturing companies, part of the Cypress Companies, and every company within Cypress is hurting for good people to fill in positions.

Is Universal Polymer embracing automation, or have things pretty much stayed the same in recent years?

We’re getting more automation, but we are far from an automated factory. For instance, we’re going more and more into injection, more automated presses, if you will, faster presses. But the rubber industry itself—it’s a big concentration around northeast Ohio—tends to be full of owner/operators who will often patch up equipment to get by. That’s how it’s always been, and these are the companies we tend to acquire. So what I’m saying is that we’re in a very mature industry, and there’s not as much automation. But in the last three years, we’ve added more of what I would call modern equipment and we have plans over the next five years to add further.

Right now, we’re looking for a visual inspection machine, which will rapidly speed up our visual inspection process (this is something that humans currently do). It’s a tedious and costly process, but some parts we make have to be looked at for excess flash or certain defects, and it’s a visual inspection. We’re looking to bring on a visual machine, which will be a nice investment.

It seems to me like today’s manufacturers understand the need to embrace innovation. Can you provide an example of an innovative solution that your company has devised in order to solve a common industry problem?

Absolutely. This past summer we launched a new mobile unit initiative as a way to better serve our customers. Basically, we designed a specially-equipped trailer that we could take on the road to provide on-the-spot hydrostatic testing and modification to customers who have purchased our pipe and manhole products. That’s an example of innovation in action, and it also shows our commitment to customer satisfaction.

That’s excellent. How would you say American manufacturing today stacks up against all the global competitors?

I would say American manufacturers are number one. When I say that, we’re talking the entire package you get for dealing with an American manufacturer. Obviously, when it comes to labor-intensive parts that are lesser engineered, we can’t really compete with the cheaper labor forces that other countries offer. So if it’s a lesser engineered commodity-type part, the American company probably won’t get the business. But for everything we offer, from sales and marketing through engineering support, through program management, to a willingness to get involved with your customers’ business as a supplier, I would say American manufacturers are the best.

Mixed Signals in US Manufacturing

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Since the recession years of the late 2000s, the manufacturing industry in the US has been working to rebound.  In 2016, there are mixed signals and confusion over how the manufacturing industry is doing.  Articles and reports are coming out on a regular basis, talking about how this specific market is up, while another is down and even others that are staying flat.  Many of the stories seem to be written with a positive spin to show only positive numbers, looking for anyway to portray that manufacturing is as strong as it’s been in years.  At Universal Polymer we work with customers in a number of markets, and have seen firsthand the differences in the health of these markets.

Economic Uncertainty

A recent report from the Federal Reserve said that factory production dropped 0.4 percent in August, after an increase of 0.4 percent in July.  From a year ago factory output is also down 0.4 percent.  This after multiple reports showing strong gains in June and July this year that seemed to signal that the manufacturing industry was beginning to turn a corner.  Industrial output which includes areas like mines and utilities also dropped 0.4 percent.  U.S utility output fell 1.4 percent in August after 2 consecutive months of strong gains that reflected the seasonal use of air conditioning during the hot summer weather.  Mining production actually rose 1 percent, and is on a trend of increases after a long period of declines, but yet is still 9.3 percent lower than a year ago.

All of the numbers that come out in these reports seem to show that overall the industry is staying flat.  Headlines saying that manufacturing output stumbled or is slumping are using the most minimal changes in output to determine that.  Reporting every month does not give a truly accurate picture of the trends that are occurring in manufacturing if the difference is only 0.4 percent.  In a previous blog this year we explored how auto sales have been reported to be growing at the fastest pace since 2000 this year, while production numbers have been low and manufacturers have been facing scandals.  This is just another example of the mixed signals over the overall health of the auto industry, which may be considered strong or weak depending on the report you read that week.

At Universal Polymer we work with many different markets and industries and see the challenges that each is facing in today’s economy.  We work with our customers to find solutions to their rubber and plastic extrusions and rubber molding needs and are the only manufacturer of the world famous Gold Line Tarp Straps.  In an industry where the health and outlook seems to change every month, we are consistent in our desire to tackle new challenges and provide answers to our customer’s questions.

Universal Polymer to Make the Most of the Six Sigma Methodology

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Six Sigma is the information driven methodology through which business stakeholders and employees can work together to optimize all possible processes and activities related to manufacturing. It works by using quick and accurate identification of inefficiencies, and by improvement of domains that are not utilizing raw materials and resources to the best of their capabilities.  Carefully developed by great thinkers like Bill Smith, Mikel Harry, Shingo and Taguchi it is a popular manufacturing concept.

Six Sigma

The Core Concept of Six Sigma:

The basic goal of Six Sigma is to ensure cooperation and collaboration between the pillars of a business. Employees are trained in the art of using known statistical tools to eliminate waste and redundancy. The leaders ensure that these employees (who hold belts) have access to the data they need to reach their conclusions. The subject matter experts stand by to provide the employees with context assistance to help them understand the results of applying Six Sigma’s statistical framework to the company’s data.

The Advantages of Using Six Sigma:

  1. The first thing that Six Sigma does is it identifies the activities which directly impact production and the indirect processes that can be optimized later. Thus employees and workers find themselves focusing on tasks that automatically contribute to increased output of the manufacturing unit and improved productivity.
  2. Six Sigma is the basis of lean manufacturing. It uncovers resources – both people and raw material which can be diverted from indirect processes and allocated to high priority tasks that have a positive impact on the bottom-line of the company. Through Six Sigma’s ability to spot trends and patterns and manage inventory, instances of over ordering, over production and just in time orders are reduced.
  3. Six Sigma has two frameworks – The Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control which takes existing processes to ‘entitlement’ or perfection and Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify which ensures that processes that have been optimized are executed without glitches. This two pronged approach increases both market share and ultimate profitability.

Universal Polymer is all set to adopt the Six Sigma methodology in April. With its new task force of yellow belt Six Sigma experts it will follow international players like GE, DuPont, Bank of America and LG on the path of process and quality control to provide better service and pricing to its loyal clients.  For more information on our capabilities and Six Sigma process please contact us here.

 

Earth Day

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In 1970 an event was first held to honor the Earth and draw attention and support for environmental protection.  This event is known today as Earth Day, and is celebrated around the world on April 22nd.  With over 190 countries participating and hosting their own events, it is one of the largest civic observances in the world.  In 2016 the global theme for Earth Day is “Trees For The Earth”  and the goal is over the next five years to plant 7.8 billion trees which will absorb excess and harmful carbon dioxide from our atmosphere and help to produce more oxygen.

Earth Day

This year on Earth Day over 150 world leaders are at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to sign the Paris Agreement.  The Paris Agreement is an arrangement between the world leaders to minimize greenhouse gases emissions.  The goal of the agreement is to reduce global warming and air pollution, and to improve the global climate.  The governments signing this agreement agree to reducing emissions, being transparent with the public on how they are doing to meet pollution reduction targets, and to support the efforts to reduce emissions in developing countries.  This is the first ever universally adopted, legally binding global climate deal, and is a big step forward in helping to protect the environment.

At Universal Polymer & Rubber we understand the importance of doing our part to help the environment.  One way we do that is to recycle our cured and excess rubber.  That rubber is ground up and used in other applications including asphalt and playgrounds to limit the harmful environmental effects of rubber.  Another way we try to help the environment is by using Six Sigma techniques to cut back on the excess waste we produce.  Using Six Sigma helps us improve the quality of our manufacturing process by minimizing the variability of our business and manufacturing processes.

As a manufacturer of rubber molded parts, rubber extruded parts and plastic extruded parts we recognize how important it is to limit pollution and waste that could harm the environment.  For more information on our capabilities and our policies to help the environment contact us here.

American Automobile Sales are Up in 2016 – What That Really Means

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The automotive industry in America is huge, with more people traveling by car than any other mode of transport.  In 2016, automotive sales are growing at the fastest pace since 2000.  Most companies are beating their sales expectations and automakers posted a 6.9% sales increase in February, compared with a year earlier.   While these numbers are positive, they are not sharing the full story on the state of the American automotive industry.

While sales numbers are up, North American production is only up 4% on the year.  Production is being supplemented by imports coming in from Europe and Japan.  This hurts the idea that an increase in sales means an increase in the production of vehicles by American automotive companies.   Also contributing to the high sales numbers are the large number of SUVs that are being purchased as opposed to smaller sedans.  SUVs are hugely profitable for automotive companies compared to smaller sedans.  Sales numbers are also up in 2016 due to lower price of gas.  As gas prices keep dropping across the nation, automobiles become more affordable for the average American, but this could change if gas prices begin to rise again.

Though the numbers for automobile sales have been positive in 2016, there have also been a few news stories that have the potential to tarnish this good news.  Volkswagen is still dealing with the fallout of its diesel emissions scandal, and other diesel car companies are having their emissions numbers scrutinized as well.  Testing is becoming stricter as the European Commission works to make sure small diesel car models are not producing more pollution than allowed.  Also, Fiat Chrysler is facing a lawsuit from auto dealerships alleging that its U.S. unit was offering money to falsify sales.  These stories are contributing to the idea that those American automobile sales may not be as healthy as they look.

As a manufacturer of rubber molded parts, rubber extruded parts and plastic extruded parts, UP&R works with many different industries including the automotive industry.  Take a look at our website for all our products and services.

Mixing the Right Batch – The Importance of Rubber Chemists

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Manufacturing rubber compounds is a lot like baking a cake: it all comes down to having the right recipe. And just like any good recipe comes from a good chef, a high quality rubber compound is devised by a skilled rubber chemist.

A rubber chemist’s job starts when they receive an ASTM specification from a manufacturer. That spec dictates the needs of the finished rubber compound, from required hardness, strength and elongation, to necessary ozone and temperature change resistance. From there, the rubber chemist sets about crafting a compound that meets three challenges:

  1. Design for Application: The compound must satisfy the requirements of the ASTM spec.
  2. Design for Manufacturability: The compound must retain its desired characteristics after being processed in the manufacturer’s facility.
  3. Design for Market: The compound must be the lowest cost possible while still achieving 1 and 2.

Creating a compound that meets the necessary requirements on paper is different than creating one that satisfies real world conditions. Ensuring the manufacturability of a rubber compound means walking it through the manufacturing process it will undergo—be that extrusion, molding or some other process—and seeing how the compound reacts in use. A skilled rubber chemist understands compounds, chemical interactions and end use applications—in short, they understand the process of turning raw rubber into a finished part.

To begin their work, a rubber chemist will mix rubber in one or two pound batches, testing each until they hit upon a compound that satisfies all three design challenges. From there, they’ll typically move up to a full batch, then continue to scale up. As they do they’ll make sure that the proper mixing time, mixing temperature and weigh ups (the weights and percentages of each component of the rubber compound) are observed. A rubber chemist will follow their compound through the mixing process,  and often through the rubber manufacturer’s own trial process as well.

Rubber chemists play an integral role in the manufacturing world. Wherever a rubber part is involved, the process of manufacturing that part began with a rubber chemist. Right now there is a shortage of skilled chemists in the rubber industry. The ones who have reached retirement age are often paid to stay longer as anxiety builds about a shortage of new chemists entering the field. As we discussed in a past blog, the task of motivating the next generation falls to all of us currently working in manufacturing. Spurring students to pursue  careers in rubber chemistry will ensure that the rubber manufacturing industry stays strong for years to come.

Universal Polymer & Rubber is TS16949 Certified

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A few weeks back we achieved TS16949 Certification from the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG). This certification is a standard recognized the world over. Here’s how AIAG defines it:

The goal of this technical specification is to develop a quality management system that provides for continual improvement, emphasizing defect prevention and reduction of variation and waste with in the supply chain.

Earning the certification meant going through a rigorous 4 day audit. If you’d walked into UP&R in the days and weeks leading up to the audit, you’d have been treated to an atmosphere akin to lawyers preparing for an important case. That preparation didn’t find us inventing new processes, but rather getting all of our notes in order. At any moment, we had to be ready for an auditor to ask us to produce our training matrix, or point to a worker and ask about their training record.

Though this is an automotive certification, the standards required benefit all of UP&R’s customers. In order to become TS19649 certified, we had to prove that we have a thorough predictive and preventative maintenance program in place in order to ensure minimal downtime. And as we mentioned, we had to provide detailed documentation of our training program. A comprehensive training program guarantees that all of our employees are working in an optimal manner.

Taken together, the TS16949 Certification is evidence of our commitment to being an efficient business, and providing the very best for our customers. We’re proud to have achieved this certification, and we’re excited to carry out the last stipulation: working towards continual improvement, so that we are always providing the best service possible.

Industrial Athletes—Competing Against Yourself to Achieve Success

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Manufacturers have a lot to do these days. Many have entered new markets as tried-and-true industries have slowed down. Many more are involved in instituting lean manufacturing principles to keep prices competitive while still making a profit. All of this requires skilled personnel, and one of the challenges facing manufacturers across all industries is the shortage of new, skilled workers. That adds another item to the to-do list: getting the next generation interested in pursuing a career in manufacturing.

Part of this effort involves dispelling old notions that the factory is grimy, mindless work. As manufacturing plants have evolved over the past twenty years, machines have gotten more high-tech, and workers more multifaceted. Multitasking has become the norm and as everyone wears more and more hats, there’s a constant element of learning and challenge to every job in the plant.

That challenge is something that many middle school and high school students don’t realize is there. We have to communicate that manufacturing provides a stable, lucrative career with lots of growth potential—but we have to go beyond that message. After all, think back to your own high school days and how much those words—“stability,” “growth potential”—meant to you. We need to speak to students on their level, keeping in mind their priorities and interests. And they love a challenge, they love to compete. From video games, to sports, to working hard to make honor roll every semester, students are constantly working to be better than they were the day before and to reach new heights. If they feel that manufacturing is a dead end job, no wonder they aren’t pursuing it as a career path.

But today manufacturing workers are more like industrial athletes than cogs in an assembly line. Every day they use their brains and their bodies to find better ways of doing things. They work to limit defects and produce more. There’s a sense of learning and refining every single day. And that extends to management roles as well. How many projects did you quote last week? How many were successful? What was the total dollar amount? How can we do better this week? You set up a plan, benchmark it against expected results and take corrective action. No matter what your position in the manufacturing plant, every day is like a game.

And for the first time, everyone is truly playing on the same team. The suggestion boxes of yesterday have been replaced by the group meetings of today. When manufacturers institute lean principles they turn to their workers to figure out the best ways to improve. Today, everyone in the plant has a voice, a voice that’s heard and respected.

We need to let students know that the behaviors and attitudes that have already taken them so far will bring them continued fulfillment and success in the world of manufacturing. They’ll quickly discover the more “practical” benefits of manufacturing for themselves. For now, we simply have to get them on our team.

Report from the NAFEM Show: Combi Ovens and Magnetic Inserted Gaskets

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In February we attended the National Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers Show for the first time, and we’re glad we did. There was a tremendous amount of energy at the show, due in part to the rebounding economy, and in part to the fact that the show is held every other year. Sometimes, yearly shows can become almost a chore. But when a show is held every other year, excitement builds, and the entire affair is infused with that much more vibrancy.

 

Beyond the excitement, the show was filled with opportunity. Have you ever heard of a combi oven? It’s short for combination oven, and it’s an incredibly popular technology in Europe. A combi oven uses a combination of convection, thermo and steam to cook. These ovens are extremely high tech devices. You can program a recipe and let the oven do the rest, from preheating through cooling down when the food is done. We even saw a model with a barcode reader that allowed you to simply put your food in and scan a ready-made recipe.

 

Like Ohio is to rubber, so are Italy and Germany to combi ovens. That’s where the knowledge base and the foundation of the technology are located. But it was clear at the NAFEM Show that these companies are looking to introduce the technology to the North American market. And much like what happened with the auto industry, the time is fast approaching when manufacturers will bring their expertise across the sea and begin manufacturing the ovens here in order to save on freight. Don’t be surprised if this becomes an important part of the food equipment manufacturing industry in the next five to ten years.

 

Combi ovens weren’t the only things that caught our eye at the NAFEM show. We also took note of the magnetic inserted rubber gaskets utilized in both ovens and refrigerators. With a magnet inside the gasket that seals to the frame of the oven or fridge, the seal created is that much stronger. While not a new invention, it was new to us. And with a magnet supplier and manufacturing process of our own, we’re now hard at work on our first magnet inserted gasket RFQs.

 

If there was one thing that was clear at the NAFEM Show, it’s that there are good times ahead for food equipment manufacturers. And as for our final verdict on the show? Well, we can guarantee you that if you’re there in 2015, you’ll see UP&R.