CRC Polymer Systems Inc. is expanding its commercial operations by installing four compounding lines at its plant in Sodus, N.Y.
Three new Leistritz twin screw extruders already are in place, and a fourth is expected to arrive by mid-year, technical director Dave Saldo said in an April 10 phone interview. The new machines will have annual production capacity of up to 35 million pounds, depending on resin types.
CRC previously had operated a business office in Rochester, N.Y., and a technical center in Stanford, Vt. The firm began to occupy the Sodus location in 2014.
CRC also installed two new silos in Sodus that allow for railcar and bulk truck capabilities. Officials believe the site can house as much as 100 million pounds of annual production capacity.
Saldo said the expansion is being fueled by the success of two product families that CRC has developed and commercialized over the past 16 years. One is TriFax, a BPA-free polyester alloy, which he said offers outstanding chemical and flame resistance, impact and clarity. Applications cover a wide array of industrial and consumer applications, including candle cups and fragrance warmers.
The other product is Carbelene, a mineralized elastomeric family of compounds with properties that can range from highly flexible to extremely stiff. Carbelene has outstanding cold temperature impact, dimensional stability and high chemical resistance, Saldo said, and does not require pre-drying.
CRC this year introduced Carbelene CL, which Saldo described as “the clearest, highest-impact polyolefin available on the market.” Carbelene CL is offered in press-ready compounds and as a masterbatch concentrate. It is aimed at clarified applications that need higher impact and clarity.
Marketing manager Todd Ewing said in a statement that CRC's success and growth of the company “is a result of [CRC's] ability to provide fast turnaround in developing products based on application needs.
“We generally lower cost while improving performance, along with cradle-to-grave technical service,” he added. “This includes processing support, material, tooling and design recommendations. We use the best performing products with lowest possible cost to get the job done.”
Saldo and Ewing both are veterans of the plastics materials market. Saldo has more than 40 years of experience, including 20 years with GE Plastics (now Sabic) and five years with M.A. Hanna (now PolyOne). Ewing also worked at Hanna, as well as Eastman Kodak Co. The two formed CRC in 2000.
Serving customers with a seasoned technical and marketing team is central to CRC's business model, Saldo said. In the 1990s he and Ewing saw the industry moving away from this approach, which led them to launch CRC. The firm previously had used toll compounders to make its products, and still works with some such firms.
“One of the biggest reasons we've grown when a lot of divisions closed down or were sold off is that we can get our product to market quicker,” Saldo said. “And we can walk in and make sure that our products run.”
CRC employs about 30. The firm makes a wide variety of color and additive compounds based on both commodity and engineering resins. CRC sells into numerous end markets, including industrial, housewares, lawn and garden, automotive, sports and leisure.