Robbins integration ‘strengthens’ Hexpol
Hexpol's acquisition of Robbins LLC was the first in a decade long string of specialist compounding purchases that shows no sign of ending yet
In November 2012 Swedish polymer group Hexpol Compounding bought US retreading supplier Robbins LLC with the intention of merging the company into “the Hexpol family”. Roughly 18 months after paying US$89.2 million for the then £100 million a year turnover company, Hexpol reports that the acquisition has strengthened its operations.
Long before the deal went through, Robbins LLC built a reputation for manufacturing envelopes and curing tubes for tyres, as well as a rubber compounding company with a strong position in mining and agriculture. According to the new owners, acquiring Robbins LLC has proven to be “a perfect complement to Hexpol’s breadth of technology, existing capabilities, and industry knowledge.”
In practice this means that during the past year, Hexpol’s NAFTA integration team introduced Robbins LLC business lines to appropriate Hexpol locations, merged the sales teams from both companies, implemented financial controls and cost reductions, and adjusted inventory levels to reflect the new business model and better serve Hexpol and Robbins customers.
Under the leadership of new managing director Christopher Poirier, the Robbins Muscle Shoals, Alabama, facility recently completed its initial ISO 14001 Environmental assessment and was named Hexpol’s “Most Improved Facility.”
“Our associates worked hard and put a lot of effort into making improvements and meeting Hexpol’s standards,” Poirier explained. “Now we’re working to ensure that Hexpol customers can draw on Robbins LLC expertise from all of HEXPOL’s NAFTA facilities.”
New tyre market sales team
Building on this success, the Robbins LLC brand within Hexpol recently developed a specialized tyre market sales team to focus on multiple aspects of serving the tyre industry. These include compounding, envelopes and speciality solutions.
Compound work means providing compound volumes exceeding 500,000 pounds per day, or prototype formulations as small as 100 pounds for custom compounds. Then there are the firm’s moulded envelopes which cover tyres during the curing process and curing tubes to force the tread rubber into the mold. (The company’s Accu-Fit CMT process reportedly increases a shop’s retreading productivity and lowers cost per cure). As new tyres come into the marketplace, Hexpol adds envelopes and curing tubes for use with those tyres. Specialty solutions see Hexpol develop custom formulated and standard specialty products and additives for the tyre industry, from accelerators and vulcanizing agents to colorants, process aides and tyre mould lubricants.
“Robbins LLC has the perfect complement of product and service offerings for Hexpol”, said Tracy Garrison, president and CEO, HEXPOL compounding NAFTA. “Together, we bring industry leading solutions to our customers, while elevating our position in the tyre industry to second to none.”
For its part Hexpol has partnered with the tyre industry for 40 years, providing compounding and retreating options for cars, trucks, buses, aircraft, and off-highway vehicles for mining and agriculture.
However the company is also a leading global developer and manufacturer of polymer compounds. The company provides proprietary and standard rubber compounding solutions to the automotive and transportation, oil and gas, medical, industrial and consumer markets.
Hexpol has 10 locations in North America include legacy names such as Gold Key Processing, Burton Rubber Processing, Colonial Rubber Works and Chase Elastomer.
Based in Malmo, Sweden, Hexpol has a global footprint, with manufacturing facilities strategically located to serve customers across North America, Europe and Asia. The company turns over $1.2 billion a year business with 3,000 employees at 28 locations in nine countries.
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