PVC alternatives spur Eldon James' growth

Denver — Eldon James Corp. decided to go against the grain 30 years ago, and that decision is paying dividends now that the tubing industry has evolved.

The firm decided not to make products using PVC, instead utilizing innovative polyethylenes and thermoplastic elastomers under its Flexelene brand to produce a family of cleaner tubing products.

"I was concerned about PVCs and the effects on the health of humans," Eldon James President Marcia Coulson said. "In the evaluation it was very clear to me that this is a much better alternative. Something we could believe in and lead the way in introducing it to the market. That was very fulfilling."

When the firm researched materials initially, Coulson said there were several reasons to provide PVC alternatives. Internally, the corrosive nature of the material could lead to chloride gas emissions. Furthermore, she said Denver-based EJ discovered that it wouldn't be able to run TPE grades on the same equipment as PVCs because of the residuals that PVC leaves behind.

She co-founded the company and is now the only founder still involved in the business.

"My family has always been entrepreneurial," Coulson said. "My parents owned their own business and we grew up with a small business. The thought process was go to school, get a good education, get a good job where you can continue to learn, but eventually look at owning your own company. I have four siblings and almost all of us ran with that philosophy and owned our own business in one way or the other. I was always inspired to own my own business, but I really needed to find a product I could believe in. You can't sell something you don't really believe in."

Eldon James began in the automotive/industrial arena and has since expanded into three divisions — EJ Automotive/Industrial, EJ BioMed and EJ Beverage. In each, Coulson said there is a movement away from PVC tubing.

"We have to prove ourselves in each market," Coulson said. "We have to find out what's important in each market to test for and come back with results that make sense to them, that are present in a way they can accept. We have to work pretty hard to learn each of those markets and discover the challenges we can help problem solve, and then we go after it."

For instance, the Healthier Hospitals Initiative — originally founded by 12 of the largest health systems in the U.S., with a combined network of more than 500 hospitals and more than $20 billion in purchasing power — has pledged to reduce the amount of PVC sourced from suppliers.

EJ's choice to focus on PVC alternatives also helped it improve efficiency for its medical OEM suppliers. Coulson said the firm developed a single-barbed fitting in conjunction with its PE or TPE tubing, allowing the tube's shelf life to increase and eliminate the need for an adhesive. Eldon James' technology pushes into the inside diameter of the tubing and, thanks to a barb, it can hold with better pull-off strength and pressure capability than an adhesive.

The result is a leaner manufacturing process for the OEM and a tube with superior pull-off strength and pressure capability compared to an adhesive.

"What we wanted to do when we became a tubing manufacturer was differentiate ourselves and not be a 'me too' tubing company and make PVC tubing," Coulson said. "We wanted to offer customers an alternative to PVC mainly because PVC has been linked to causing endocrine problems for humans and all kinds of health challenges. Hospitals have been asking their manufacturers to supply them products that are PVC-free."

On the beverage front, Coulson said PVC is the weakest link in beverage disposing. EJ's antimicrobial tubing inhibits the top four beer-spoiling bacteria. When combined with EJ's PVC-free tubing, it found its niche within the craft brewing sector.

"The beverage market really liked the fact that we were bringing medical technology to enhance the products for that market," Coulson said. "We continue to learn from every market, and have found that we can get some crossover hits in each market."

EJ celebrated its 30th anniversary June 23 and already in 2017 there are plans for further expansion.

Coulson said EJ added three new injection molding lines — one in its Class 7 clean room and two on its production floor — in May, bringing its total to 41. The firm also operates five extrusion lines at its 75,000-square-foot manufacturing site in Denver with about 35 employees.

Prior to moving into its current facility four years ago, EJ operated three sites in the Denver area — a clean room, an extrusion site and the other for its injection molding business.

"We gained a lot of efficiencies by having everyone working within the same facility," Coulson said. "We were also able to have some additional space to show customers that we have the ability to grow as they grow, and have the capacity to facilitate their new business."

Assemblies also are taking off for the firm, especially within the clean room. Coulson said EJ can now extrude, label, cut to length and then assemble fittings to that cut length of tubing, and then package and supply the customer a complete assembly.

Coulson said EJ also will continue to develop new products, with more coming up on the horizon.