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The Universal Polymer & Rubber Team Review: Wishing You a Happy Holiday Season

2019 is nearly here!

While we’re looking forward to the manufacturing year that lies ahead, as an industry leader, we value the importance of an annual review. Will history repeat itself? Will the industry continue in an upward climb, or will we see the backlashes of success from the past few quarters? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, we’ll refresh the 2018 manufacturing highlights that we’ve seen over the past year.

Continuous Room for Acquisitions

One of the most significant capitalist ventures UP&R has run with over the past year (and beyond), is our acquisition strategy. Gasko Fabricated Products based in Medina, Ohio, is a high-volume producer of seals, gaskets, and diaphragms that are made through a process of converting polymer and hybrid materials. Their die-cut products are used throughout marine, automotive, and outdoor power equipment industries for power take-off, transmission, engine management, and fuel delivery systems.

This was our fifth overall acquisition, and third in the last four years; our business decisions have catapulted us into a leading industry player. At UPR, we continuously seek out manufacturers that we can partner with to expand our reach and better serve our customers.

2018 Tariffs & An Economic Shift

Some of the greatest challenges our industry faced this year were the tariffs that President Trump put on a range of goods – top-tier manufacturing products including steel and aluminum. With a far-reaching impact on many manufacturing industries, this was a significant shift for virtually all industrial businesses nationwide. As these tariffs go into effect, American manufacturers will begin to change their suppliers, processes, and pricing to accommodate for the economic shifts.

Thank You to Our Valued Customers

Based in Middlefield, Ohio, our company has been a premier custom manufacturer of polymer extrusions and moldings since our founding in 1970. We offer an assortment of compression moldings, transfer moldings, and injection moldings to meet the needs of our diverse customer base. Serving a broad number of markets, including transportation, cargo control, construction, pipe manufacturing, automotive OE supply chain (Tier II & III), we pride ourselves on our customer focus.

Before we rush into 2019, we want to wish our loyal customers a warm and happy holiday season and a healthy new year.  Don’t forget to follow us on our blog, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and for more information on our products and services, contact us today.

Confidence in Manufacturing Predicted for 2018

After the recession of 2008, it has taken time for our country to rebound. The rebound started slowly but has gained momentum and industries across the U.S. are beginning to see quite a change. For many, optimism is high. Helping the change is the new administration and the President’s commitment to supposedly bring jobs back to America. He has started deregulation of manufacturing industries and has promised to lower business taxes in an effort to make the U.S. more competitive with jobs that were off-shored long ago.

Consumer confidence has spurred the economy, allowing businesses to once again invest in new software, new equipment, training and industrial structures. All of these investments help to better our economy. Industries are also more expectant due to the increase in employment rates and increase in disposable income.

According to a report by Bloomberg Markets, the U.S. is experiencing growth at a rate higher than what was forecasted. Currently, the rate is three percent, which is a solid gain. This rate is high considering the time period reported on includes two devastating hurricanes in two parts of our country. All of this information leads to an encouraging outlook for the coming years for manufacturing.

A wide range of industries are seeing this growth, including rubber, the housing industry coming off all- time lows of 2009, mining, aerospace, and more. This past September, the Institute for Supply Management hit an all-time high mark for gauging manufacturing activity. The last time numbers were this close was in 2004.

As a custom manufacturer of rubber extrusions, plastic extrusions and rubber moldings including compression moldings, transfer moldings, and injection moldings, all of this information leaves the Universal Polymer team enthused about the potentials for 2018. We serve many industries, including the transportation and cargo control market, automotive OE supply chain as a Tier II and Tier III, construction and pipe manufacturers market, and the general industrial market.

To keep abreast of what’s new in our industry, we invite you to read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and connect with us on LinkedIn. To speak to one of our professionals about how we can help you, we invite you to contact us today.