Future success is in the bag for HB Chemical, J. Drasner

TWINSBURG, Ohio—The legacy of the 'Drasner Bag' lives on, and that is good news for custom compounders and rubber processors of all sizes who use the unique batch bags supplied by J. Drasner and Co. Inc.

In fact, the legacy of the entire company remains intact, as J. Drasner is now under the auspices of HB Chemical Corp., which acquired the Beachwood, Ohio-based bag, film and stearate supplier Feb. 28.

Terms of the transaction between the two Northeast Ohio companies were not disclosed.

"They are a service-minded business just like us," said Joe Moran, vice president HB Chemical, which is located in a 150,000-sq.-ft. site in Twinsburg. "They have a very mom-and-pop feel to them, with a great infrastructure.

"Like us, they can service the smallest to the largest (companies), and they have always had a personal touch in their operations. They will fold in nicely with us, and we are so excited to work side-by-side with them now."

HB Chemical and J. Drasner may not have shared ownership before, but they have maintained a rich, two-decade business partnership.

Since J. Drasner's low-melting point batch inclusion bags are a key element for any custom compounder, as are the specialty additives and chemicals supplied by HB Chemical, the two companies have crossed paths in the non-tire rubber, tire and plastics industries for more than 20 years.

"We are very excited about this combination," said Jason Drasner, president of J. Drasner and Co. "HB Chemical has an outstanding team and together, we will be able to offer our customers better service and more products than ever before."

The company brings six employees into the fold for HB Chemical (for a total of about 36 for HB Chemical), and no personnel changes are anticipated with the transition, Moran said.

"This just enhances our team, as their whole team will continue to service the legacy Drasner business," Moran told Rubber News, adding that "leadership from both businesses" broached the idea of the acquisition. "Our cultures are very similar—this just made sense right now. Drasner just folds in more product lines for us that service the rubber industry."

Through the slog of supply chain delays, inflation and a global pandemic, Jason Drasner said it was time to sell—but to do so with confidence that the Drasner name would continue on, as it has since 1984.

"I joined my father's company in 1994 and have been running it now for about 20 years," Drasner said. "With COVID and the supply chain issues that have been happening, it just wasn't as fun running my own business as it used to be. I wouldn't have sold to just anybody—but the fit with HB Chemical is just so perfect.

"Our cultures are similar, but HB Chemical plus (parent company) Ravago (Holdings) have strengths in areas that I do not. They have more resources, better technology and a large and effective sales team. It is truly a win-win. HB can expand their offerings and the Drasner bag has a perfect home for continued growth and success."

J. Drasner began 38 years ago in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood, under the direction of Jason's father Joseph Drasner, growing from the basement of Joseph's home into the 40,000-sq.-ft. warehousing facility that exists today.

A chemical engineer by trade, Joseph initially worked as a distributor for Metallic Stearates, selling the plastic and rubber additive, as well as other chemicals that had applications in the rubber industry.

As the story goes, Joseph was conversing with a customer at an industry luncheon—a custom compounder—when the seed was planted to strike out on his own.

The customer, who was mixing rubber with batch bags that melted at 185-degrees Fahrenheit, needed a vessel with a lower melting point.

"He didn't invent the batch inclusion bag ... what we did that was unique was lower the melting point," Jason Drasner said. "My dad, who was a chemical engineer and always very customer-oriented, did some research and figured out the right raw materials and developed new additive concentrate blends that would yield a lower melting film that met this customer's needs."

With a business acumen as adept as his engineering, Joseph found a film company that was willing to run his product—and the "Lomel 160" bag was born.

Like comments from customers who have just eaten their favorite cheesecake, word traveled quickly about Drasner's batch bag.

"This customer was very good at what they did ... and their customers inquired about the bags for their own use," Jason Drasner said. "They were referred to us and we realized that many more customers needed a lower melting batch inclusion bag."

The company took resins that normally were blended with polyethylene or used in other markets, like adhesives, and developed a straight film that had a lower melting than anything available at the time.

The company's technical approach—selling the bags as an additive—and customization (sizes, melt point and colors) all distinguished J. Drasner from the players at the time who sold it more like a customer service add-on packaging item.

"We were the first to market these bags as a chemical additive and not just a packaging item," Drasner said.

The bags now are made from a variety of polyolefins, depending on the melt point that is required for the application.

And since the bags melt into the final rubber compounds, they need to be treated and controlled like any other ingredient in the bag itself.

His father's chemical engineering discipline that was so crucial to the company's inception continues to be a foundation for J. Drasner today.

"It requires much more extensive technical knowledge of film chemistry and the end market than was needed to sell ordinary packaging items," Drasner said. "The 'Drasner Bag' is well-known in the industry and we plan to continue to use that name.

"It stands for in-depth technical knowledge with a strong commitment to meeting each customers' unique requirements."

Moran envisions a bright future with addition of J. Drasner's products to HB Chemical's portfolio of synthetic rubbers, accelerators, plasticizers, antioxidants, waxes and other specialty chemicals.

"We have worked with J. Drasner for over 20 years and now we are thrilled to combine our teams and together offer an even better customer experience," Moran said.

HB Chemical, named one of Rubber News' Best Places to Work in 2021, became part of the Ravago Holdings Inc. family in March 2019.