HILLIARD, Ohio (Dec. 16)—Dura Belt Inc., a maker of thermoplastic urethane belts used on roller conveyors, is boosting prices on all its products by 3 percent to offset the rise in raw material costs.
Because urethane is a hydrocarbon, its price is linked to the rising cost of oil, Vice President Jim Hammond said. The company has been hit with three price hikes in the last three years but productivity improvements have allowed the firm to absorb increases and decrease its prices during that span.
The hike is Dura-Belt´s first general price increase since the company was purchased in 1991, he said, adding that the company has been able to decrease its prices during that span because of the manufacturing improvements.