Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • CFO of the Year
    • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Bioplastics Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • PFAS Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
    • Europe - Virgin
    • Europe - Recycled
    • Europe - Feedstock
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
February 27, 2013 01:00 AM

Techmer buys out joint venture partner

Frank Esposito
Senior Staff Reporter
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More

    CLINTON, TENN. -- Change has been on the agenda at materials firm Techmer PM. Since mid-2012, the company has reorganized its senior management, bought out a joint venture partner and opened a new machine shop at its plant in Tennessee.

    The management change occurred when Techmer founder John Manuck took on the titles of chairman and CEO. That allowed his stepson Ryan Howley to become president of the Clinton, Tenn.-based firm. Howley had been with Techmer since 1999, most recently serving as vice president of strategic growth.

    In a recent phone interview, Howley said the move "is part of our eventual succession planning," and that he's looking forward to the challenge of having a larger role in the company where he first worked as a summer employee 23 years ago. "One of the things we need to do now is gain critical mass in engineering resins compounding," he said.

    Techmer's recent buyout of the Techmer Lehvoss Compounds (TLC) LLC joint venture should help in that area. Techmer had operated the business as a joint venture with German compounder Lehmann & Voss & Co. KG since 2004, but Howley said the business "hadn't gone as well as either party would have liked, as far as sales were concerned."

    "There were some successes, but we thought it could be more successful by taking a different path," he added. Techmer will continue to make TLC products such as Plaslube and Electrafil engineering resin compounds at its plant in Clinton, where TLC had occupied 40,000 square feet of the 190,000-square-foot building.

    Howley declined to say how much Techmer paid for L&V's 40 percent stake in TLC. L&V already has opened an office in Pawcatuck, Conn., which it will use to market its Luvocom-brand engineering resin compounds, some of which previously had been made in Clinton. Techmer no longer will make Luvocom there, but Howley said L&V may market compounds that compete with the Plaslube and Electrafil materials.

    Techmer now will operate the former TLC business — along with specialty materials made at its plant in Rancho Dominguez, Calif. — as Techmer Engineered Solutions LLC.

    The new machine shop in Clinton is located in a separate building that covers between 10,000 and 15,000 square feet. The shop opened in mid-2012 and now has four full-time employees.

    Previously, Techmer machinery that was in need of repair had to be sent out to other firms. Now, the firm will be able to refurbish and rebuild its own extruders, which Howley said will extend the life of the machinery.

    Techmer also has improved its machinery know-how by hiring Dan Dickens, a longtime employee of extruder maker Coperion GmbH. "He's basically our manufacturing guru," Howley said of Dickens. "He can help us find ways to increase throughput."

    Howley added that Techmer is looking to make acquisitions to grow the company. The firm was interested in Infinity Compounding LLC before that company was bought by Americhem Inc. Late last year. Not counting the TLC buyout, Techmer hasn't made an acquisition since it bought the Irgasurf line of additives from BASF SE in 2010.

    Howley said Techmer was off to a good start in 2013, with January sales coming in 15 percent higher than expected. Techemr's sales for 2013 are expected to be above the $200 million mark. The firm makes a wide variety of compounds and color and additive concentrates at six U.S. sites. Techmer's Naperville, Ill., plant will relocate to Batavia, Ill., during the third quarter.

    Techmer now employs 515 but still has a strong family element. In addition to Howley and Manuck, Howley's wife, Marina Howley, serves as the firm's global marketing director, and Manuck's brother, Rich Manuck, is Techmer's corporate training manager.

    The family connection extends to Howley's sister, Heather Phillips, who is the firm's human resources director, and her husband, Chris Phillips, who leads Techmer's lean programs.

    "We're not a small company anymore," Ryan Howley said. "But we're still a family company."

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    People in plastics: Week of Nov. 27, 2023
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Geon takes ‘key step forward' with PolymaxTPE acquisition
    2
    Orion expects to open fourth compounding line in 2024
    3
    People in plastics: Week of Nov. 27, 2023
    4
    Sussex IM sells Mr. Lid brand, will continue molding
    5
    Former ACC economist explains business cycles in new book
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Find more newsletters at plasticsnews.com/newsletters.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • CFO of the Year
        • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Videos
      • Podcasts
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Bioplastics Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • PFAS Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Resin Prices Overview
      • Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temperature Thermoplastics
      • Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Recycled Plastics
      • Thermosets
      • Europe - Virgin
      • Europe - Recycled
      • Europe - Feedstock
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified