It's time for our annual directory of liquid silicone rubber processors. We've tracked down information on 79 companies worldwide and present that list in our April 3 issue, along with a brief description of their products.
We also asked what year did they begin using LSR. Jamak Fabrication Inc. in Weatherford, Texas, was the oldest, reporting at 1971. That same year, American daredevil Evel Knievel set a world record by jumping 19 cars with his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, according to evelknievel.com. If your firm has been making products from LSR longer than 52 years, then let me know. If you've been jumping cars with LSR components, I don't want to know that.
Looking at our survey results, medical-grade LSR hits the top as the most used material and the biggest end market, representing well over half our list.
Ever heard the phrase "askin' ain't getting"? We asked all 79 LSR processors how much material they use annually, and nine gave us ballpark figures: a total of 759,580 pounds. Statistically, that's 11 percent. In terms of useful data, it is unhelpful.
I did the math and got an average per company of 84,398 pounds. That average multiplied by 79 companies is just over 6.6 million pounds. So what if it was all medical tubing?
Considering a per-foot weight of 0.0175 pounds for tubing, that would compare with 381 million feet or about 72,000 miles of tubing. At 60 miles per hour, it would take 1,203 hours, or 50 days, to drive that distance straight through.
The Freedonia Group forecasts a $685 million market for LSR. Our listing is only a drop in the bucket. It must be, otherwise the math says the cost would be $39,143 a foot for tubing. Higher health costs not withstanding, the logic says there is a lot more data collection to do.
You can help. If your company processes LSR anywhere in the world, then we want to hear from you. If you are already on the list, then give us a general idea of how much material you used in 2022.
From our efforts to grow our list, we welcome two companies this year: Beacon Manufacturing Group in Alexandria, Minn., and Evco Plastics Inc. in DeForest, Wis.
Missing from the ranking? Contact me at [email protected]
Find all our rankings and lists online at www.plasticsnews.com/businessdata. See the digital edition of Plastics News with this directory online at www.plasticsnews.com/this-week-issue/archives.
Hollee Keller is the editorial research coordinator for Plastics News and author of the All Things Data blog. Follow her on Twitter @holleekeller.