What does it take to be a top manufacturing company?
With almost 50 years in the business and recent recognition as a “Made in the USA” success story by Construction in Focus, Universal Polymer & Rubber has learned the steps it takes to become a market leader.
Through the years, we’ve remained true to our roots, building upon our original foundation to branch out into additional markets to serve our customers in transportation, cargo control, construction, pipe manufacturing, automotive OE supply chain, and general industrial markets.
Set Yourself Apart By Staying True To Your Values
Companies that set themselves apart from the competition do so through continuous hard work, a strong desire to learn, and an understanding of industry dynamics.
Manufacturing is competitive businesses and companies must be able to address and adapt to issues like the growing skills gap, the dwindling interest in core manufacturing as a career choice, or imposed tariffs on a moments notice. Fluidity from top executives down to starter employees is a necessity.
Embrace Innovation & Excel Where You Can
The next key to success is understanding competitive pressures and embracing innovation. As an example, at UPR, we implemented a mobile unit as a way to better serve customers. Using a specially-equipped trailer, we can provide hydrostatic testing and custom product modifications for customers on location. We take pride not just in our ability to offer quality products, but also in our excellent customer service.
Stay Competitive By Branching Out
Sharing our experiences can help other companies refine their business models to be more competitive and successful. Facing diversity with versatility means that you don’t have to rely on one market for success, leading to less of a struggle when the markets fluctuate.
Simply stated: take on other proponents that complement the “bread and butter” of your company.
Make Strategic Acquisitions, Then Stick to Your Strategy
We attribute part of our enduring success to our strategic acquisitions. With a total of five acquisitions, Universal Polymer & Rubber has always strived to become one of the largest non-mixing polymer fabricators in the United States. Through these acquisitions, we are able to offer a variety of polymer solutions including rubber extrusions, plastic extrusions, rubber molding, tarp straps, and gaskets.
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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.
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