CHICAGO (June 26, 12:20 p.m. EDT) — Specialty compounder Polymer Resources Ltd. will boost capacity in Rochester, N.Y., and is considering the addition of a new facility in the Southeast.
The investment in Rochester will include a combination of single-screw and twin-screw equipment, as well as other secondary equipment, regional sales manager Steve Bruno said in an interview at NPE in Chicago.
A Southeastern site would provide Farmington, Conn.-based Polymer Resources with better proximity to customers and also improve the firm's overall efficiency, Bruno said.
PRL has “no definite timetable” for either project, but the company is seeing growth in both its color products and its standard line of compounds based on engineering resins. Growth is coming both from new customers and from general economic growth, Bruno added.
New work for PRL has come from the electrical, construction and business equipment sectors, as well as in tools and hardware. The firm also has seen increased activity in construction lighting, including traffic lights and pedestrian signage. Work in battery cases and lighting on vehicle housings also is growing in both the military and civilian markets.
Material growth has been in polycarbonate, polybutylene terephthalate, PC/ABS, PC/polyester and modified polyphenylene oxide/polyphenylene ether. Custom color applications also are providing growth opportunities for PRL.
In 2006, PRL expects to post sales of $50 million — a jump of more than 20 percent from the previous year. Sales at the 32-year-old firm have more than doubled since 2003.
Since mid-2005, PRL has added a total of three extrusion lines in Farmington and Rochester. The sites have a combined annual capacity of more then 40 million pounds. PRL also hired two new sales reps and a new technical engineer in 2005. Additional staff increases are expected in 2006.