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
January 16, 2015 01:00 AM

Research collaboration leads to a presidential visit for Techmer PM

Frank Esposito
Senior Staff Reporter
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    White House Photo by Pete Souza
    President Barack Obama, left, and Vice President Joe Biden, right, talk with Techmer PM founder John Manuck during a visit at the company.
    Any plastics executive wondering about the value of collaboration should talk to officials at materials firm Techmer PM.

    That's because Techmer's work with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory led to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden visiting the firm's manufacturing plant in Clinton, Tenn., on Jan. 9.

    Techmer had worked with ORNL on several projects — including 3-D printing and the development of carbon fiber-filled compounds — for the last few years, Techmer President Ryan Howley said in a Jan. 14 phone interview. So when the White House was looking for a manufacturer to visit while announcing a new Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation Institute at the nearby University of Tennessee, ORNL nominated Techmer.

    “Techmer has been a strong partner in ORNL's effort to improve the size, speed and materials used in advanced manufacturing,” ORNL communications director David Keim said. “They're a great example of how industry and the National Laboratory System collaborate.”

    ORNL is the Department of Energy's largest science and energy lab. The site employs 4,400 and has been issued almost 600 patents since 2004.

    Howley added that the White House “wanted to highlight its manufacturing innovation hub, and (ORNL) thought we were a perfect example. It was great timing, because we had just completed the 3-D printing of the car.”

    “The car” was a Shelby Cobra sports car that was 3-D printed at the ORNL site in Oak Ridge, Tenn., using carbon-fiber materials made at the Techmer plant in Clinton. The car was on display at the plant during the Obama-Biden visit and later was featured at the Detroit Auto Show from Jan. 12-15.

    “We had just painted [the car] earlier that week, and the paint was still drying the day before the visit,” Howley said. “They said they truly wanted to see something new, well, that was about as new as you can get.”

    The White House had contacted Techmer on Dec. 23, asking if the firm was interested in hosting the event.  The visit was confirmed about 10 days later, and White House security staff arrived in Clinton on Jan. 3. They did a full security check on the Clinton site twice, and a hazardous materials team also inspected the plant.

    “The four days before the visit were four of the craziest days of my life,” Howley said. “For a normal presidential visit, an amazing amount of people come through. But when you've got the president and the vice president, they each have their own staff, so it's double the amount of people.”

    Techmer PM

    President Obama checks out a 3-D printed car during his visit to Techmer PM

    Obama and Biden arrived at the Techmer plant at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 after visiting Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville earlier in the day. They spent about 15 minutes touring the site with Techmer owner and founder John Manuck before Obama made a speech announcing the composites institute.

    “The reason we're here is because wherever Americans are doing big things that can help build our middle class and grow our economy and extend opportunity to everybody, I want to be here to lift it up and figure out how we can promote more of it,” Obama said in his speech.

    After the speech, Obama and Biden held a meet-and-greet event with 30 Techmer personnel. From start to finish, the president and vice president were on-site in Clinton for about an hour and a half.

    “The visit validated all the hard work we've done over the years,” Howley said.

    Techmer — a maker of color and additive concentrates — is based in Clinton and employs more than 250 at its 200,000-square-foot plant there. In May, Techmer raised the starting pay for its Clinton manufacturing employees to $11 an hour as part of a companywide value system that ensures workers receive a compensation package that rewards effort, commitment and results. Earlier in 2014, Techmer ranked third on Plastics News' Best Places to Work list.

    Techmer ranks as one of North America's 30 largest compounders and concentrate makers. The firm has seven manufacturing plants in North America and has annual sales of more than $200 million. Markets for Techmer's products include packaging, medical and automotive.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Italy-based packaging maker Omnia expands to Ontario
    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
    Greif adds to blow molding business with acquisition
    2
    Stratasys back on the block after $1.8B merger falls through
    3
    An 8,000-ton dream for Milacron, 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics
    4
    Documentary looks at how ‘we love to hate' packaging
    5
    How reshoring went from fringe idea to strategic vision
    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