Two distributors have joined forces to form one of the largest sources of seals and other custom rubber products in North America.
R.T. Dygert International-the result of the November merger between Minneapolis-based E.S. Dygert Co. and R.T. Enterprises Inc. of Skokie, Ill.-will allow the combined businesses to cross-sell and take advantage of each other's resources, said Larry Goode, the new company's CEO.
The two firms ran in many of the same customer circles in the past-R.T. Enterprises was a supplier to E.S. Dygert for 25 years, Goode said-but also worked within some divergent markets that will complement each other.
R.T. Enterprises has specialized in molded rubber components, O-rings and insert moldings since its founding in 1969, and E.S. Dygert has been a standard and custom seals and packings supplier since 1958, with a focus on thermoplastics. The two firms' strengths, product lines and management styles make for a good fit, said Goode, who previously was president of E.S. Dygert.
``Both companies share a responsive, service-driven culture, and are known for their core values of quality, honesty and integrity,'' he said. ``R.T. Dygert offers a broader product base, enhanced logistics and distribution capabilities, more tailored programs to meet customer needs, unbeatable product knowledge, progressive engineering skills and the benefits of global resources.''
The merged company is based in Minneapolis, and has offices in Chicago and Milwaukee. Operations for both E.S. Dygert and R.T. Enterprises are ISO 9001 certified. Post-merger, elastomers represent the largest single material supplied by the company and more than 50 percent of its sales, Goode said. R.T. Dygert's molded elastomer interests are most strongly connected to seals, gaskets and O-rings for pressure-containing applications as opposed to rubber molding for parts such as bumpers, he said.
The company works with some of the leading seal makers to provide problem solving, engineering and design assistance for a full range of elastomeric and thermoplastic seals and shapes, the firm said. R.T. Enterprises brought to the transaction a history of providing rubber molding solutions from project inception through material selection, as well as prototyping, production and delivery.
R.T. Dygert also imports some of its seals from overseas, Goode said.
The merged company supplies a variety of OEMs and a network of independent seal distributors within a large number of markets, including fluid power, consumer goods, lawn and garden, chemical processing, mobile hydraulics, agricultural, appliance, automotive, furniture, food and beverage, lighting, marine, military, plumbing, pneumatics and warehouse supply.
The company does 99 percent of its business via distribution centers in Minneapolis and Chicago, Goode said. Sometime down the road, R.T. Dygert would like to add an Asian location to better serve global customers, he said.
``We're seeing increasingly more customers overseas,'' Goode said, adding that the company does about 5 percent of its business offshore. ``We've maintained good relationships with our domestic customers and we're developing the capability to service any customers wherever they may be.''