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
    • 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
News
September 22, 2014 02:00 AM

Breakaway success in Hollywood means growth for Smooth-On

Mike Scott
RUBBER && PLASTICS NEWS
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Smooth-On Inc.
    Smooth-On Inc.'s "Smash Plastic" urethane is used for breakaway glass props. The company is expanding, in part, thanks to business from Hollywood.

    EASTON, PA. — With the company “bursting at the seams” according to its co-owner, Smooth-On Inc. is moving from an 80,000-square-foot facility to a newly refurbished 360,000-square-foot facility located 15 miles away from its current location in Easton.

    And Smooth-On has Hollywood to thank for some of its success.

    All 200-plus employees of the liquid rubber and plastic manufacturer likely will make the move to the new location during September, said Clay Western, vice president of sales. Construction and retrofitting of the new site will continue until then.

    “We're glad to have room to breathe as we have been out of space for some time,” Western said. “We added another 30,000 square feet a few years ago, and we had grown out of that the first day that we opened the new space. We've been running three shifts for the better part of a few years, so it's been a tremendous growth period.”

    Smooth-On manufactures rubber, plastic, foam and other products, turning them into three-dimensional end products. These products include many sculptures produced in the U.S. — elaborate pieces of architectural ornamentation or restorations, models and prototypes that can are used by such companies as AT&T Inc., Lucent Technologies Inc., Ford Motor Co. and others.

    The new facility is a refurbished manufacturing site, located in a portion of Lower Macungie Township that has been hit hard over the years by the decline of manufacturing in that part of Pennsylvania. Local officials hope the move will help to spur some residential and commercial growth in the community, according to local media reports.

    One of the many reasons for Smooth-On's growth has been its success in a field not generally considered common for manufacturers — the movie industry. Smooth-On has made customized plastic materials, including special effects products, for movie studios for the last 25 years. The company operates small offices in Hollywood and London near the main movie studios in those cities.

    Although its movie business comprises a somewhat small percentage of overall sales, it might be the most interesting industry that the company serves.

    “We have made plastics for spaceships that have been shown in Star Wars movies and materials for popular shows like ‘The Walking Dead' and ‘Vampire Chronicles,'” Western said. “It's been a great business for us, and we have designed plastic items for many of the same customers regularly for years.”

    Foam is used for models and miniatures in Hollywood, silicone for makeup effects (think zombies) and polyurethane goes into the company's “Smash Plastic,” used for safe breakaway glass formed into bottles and windows designed to break apart safely.

    Smooth-On Inc.

    Special effect prop maker Eric Porn prepares a Smash Plastic window for use in the horror film "Laid To Rest." Smooth-On's materials will break away when the movie's bad guy smashes his head through the refrigerator "glass."

    The firm has manufactured three-dimensional special effects out of rubber, plastic and other materials for all Harry Potter movies, James Bond films and many others, Western said.

    Smooth-On employs approximately 12 professionals who focus specifically on the movie industry.

    While Smooth-On doesn't expect to add many new employees right away, the consistent upward growth of the company virtually ensures that hiring will continue over the next few years, Western said. The company has open positions in such fields as manufacturing, packaging, sales and marketing, accounting and laboratory development.

    “We're taking our entire work force with us (to the new location), and there will certainly be new hires in all departments in the next few years,” Western said. Smooth-On makes products for the construction and mining industries. Its applications are made for concrete casting, candlemaking, industrial needs, medical simulations, taxidermy and others.

    While Western maintained that revenue growth has been consistent, he declined to reveal figures.

    “It's a very competitive industry,” he said, “and we don't want to tip our hand to those competitors. But we have been fortunate to experience consistent growth in both revenue and in our number of employees.”

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Auto suppliers plan for uncertainty amid UAW strike, shift to EVs
    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
    An 8,000-ton dream for Milacron, 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics
    2
    Proposed tax on single-use virgin plastic resurfaces in Congress
    3
    Is the market getting serious about using recycled plastics?
    4
    Feedstock costs continue pushing up PET bottle resin prices
    5
    Reduced supply, rising oil costs lead to boost in recycled PET resin prices
    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
        • 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