Ed-Lynn Network Group is increasing its amount of custom work in antioxidants, ultraviolet-light stabilizers and other additives.
``We want to tailor our products for certain applications,'' Marc Wade, chief operating officer, said at NPE.
``We don't want to be a me-too company.''
Akron, Ohio-based Ed-Lynn Network is a partnership between resin distributor Network Polymers Inc. of Akron and additives maker and distributor Ed-Lynn Corp. of Toronto.
The firm expects to post sales of between $5 million and $10 million in 2006.
The partnership was formed in 2003 to maximize contacts each firm had in the plastics processing and additives markets.
Network operates jointly with ABS maker and compounder Diamond Polymers Inc. of Akron. Since Ed-Lynn Network was launched, Ed-Lynn has been able to produce special additive formulations for Diamond at a plant Ed-Lynn operates in Nantaou, Taiwan.
Ed-Lynn Network ``does the same kind of work we do at Diamond,'' said Alan Woll, who owns both Diamond and Network.
``It's all about talking to the customer and finding out what they want.''
Ed-Lynn Network also recently bolstered its executive ranks by hiring Rick Wilk, a 20-year veteran of Ciba Specialty Chemicals, a major additives maker. Wilk will serve as Ed-Lynn Network's sales director.
Wade also credited Ed-Lynn Network sales representative Steve Menasce with growing the firm's business in South America. That region now accounts for about 10 percent of sales.