RapidPurge finally makes its NPE splash after three-year delay

Orlando, Fla. — NPE2021 would have been a great coming-out party for purging compound maker RapidPurge.

Not that the Essex, Conn.-based company is new. The business started in 1979 and was a pioneer in purging compounds.

But the firm marked a major milestone in July 2019 when Joseph Serell bought the company and became president. Prior to that, the company didn't do much marketing or advertising.

Serell bought RapidPurge just a year after the last NPE, which was in May 2018, so Serell was looking forward to making a big splash at the 2021 show.

With Serell's background marketing purging compounds at his previous employer, it was a natural next step.

"The owner [of RapidPurge] prior to me was a manufacturing engineer, but he didn't do anything for marketing," Serell said. "It was always a great product and a very strong name. So when I bought the company, it was running really well and very efficiently, and production was fantastic. And that's where I came in, because I had the marketing and sales background in the purging compound world.

"I've been in purging compounds since 2004, so I did several NPEs with my previous company," Serell said. "So I really couldn't wait to get the brand back out in front of the industry, so of course I was really looking forward to NPE. We had our booth picked out and paid for, and we were ready to go."

But the pandemic got in the way, and NPE2021 was canceled.

The long-delayed big splash finally happened at the 2024 show in Orlando. In his previous experiences at NPE, Serell was representing his employer. This time he was there as a company owner. How was that different?

"That's a good question. I've always felt very proud of the companies I've worked for, and I was always happy to represent them. They've been good companies. But I guess there's a different feeling when it's my own," Serell said.

"There's a different level of thanks for my customers now. There's a deeper appreciation. We've had a lot of customers who have been with us a long time. And it's really nice to see them now for the first time. And for many of them, they're seeing RapidPurge for the first time, because it's been so long since they exhibited anywhere. So it's really exciting to be here."

A few weeks after the show, RapidPurge made news when it announced a distribution partnership with Stoner Molding Solutions, a division of Quarryville, Pa.-based Stoner Inc.

Serell said it's an unusual deal. RapidPurge has typically sold its products directly to users instead of using distributors.

"We're small, in volume terms, sort of a niche, and distributors typically handle resins in truckloads or rail cars. So purging compounds don't fit well into the traditional distributor model," Serell said.

Stoner, a family-owned company that started in 1942, manufactures and distributes smaller-volume niche products that are also sold to molders.

"I've known the Stoner guys for a long time. They're very technical, a lot of Ph.D.s on staff. They really have the same educational sort of approach to sales that we do," Serell said.

RapidPurge and Stoner have been discussing ways to work together for a few years and more serious talks for several months.

"They recognized how well RapidPurge fits into their product line because they're selling to the same companies, and they're also selling to the same people within those companies. You know, the people responsible for products that are coming out of the mold, the people responsible for scrap, cycle times, productivity, that sort of thing," he said.

"They will be really good at representing us and what we do. And from their perspective, they'll be able to offer their customers a much more complete solution."

Gary Book, director of sales for Stoner, called the partnership with RapidPurge "a very strategic fit."

"We offer a diverse range of molding solutions, including mold releases, cleaners, sealers, rust preventives and lubricants. This includes many products formulated for specific materials such as plastics, composites, polyurethane and rubber as well as more versatile options," Book said.

Stoner formulates and manufactures nearly all of its products in-house, and it has never offered purging compounds before.

"That said, we feel that offering RapidPurge's expertise and purging compounds alongside our current line of molding solutions will help customers save time, increase their productivity and improve the quality of their work," Book said.

Serell had hoped to announce the distribution agreement at NPE, but the timing didn't work out. But that didn't put a damper on the NPE experience. Serell said he's seeing growing interest from processors in using purging compounds.

"The world is getting more and more competitive every year, so saving cost and waste wherever you can makes sense. That's what purging compounds, and specifically RapidPurge, does," Serell said. "It was an absolutely fantastic week."