Era aiming to gain ground in North America

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—At first glance, Era Polymers Pty Ltd. seems like a small family business.

And it is. But it's also much more.

Touted as Australia's largest independent polyurethane systems house, the Australian-based company is a family business, operated by George Papamanuel, his wife Tina, who oversees all administrative functions, and their son Alex, the firm's current sales director.

For 29 years, the company has been developing and producing polyurethane systems for a customer base that stretches across the globe and expands yearly, according to George Papamanuel, co-founder and president of the firm.

Era, which produces a diverse range of cast elastomers prepolymers, is making a concerted effort to expand further into North America, where it presently relies on a toll manufacturer in Florida to produce some of the company's most popular brands, he said.

The firm believes it has an opportunity for much greater growth on the continent.

“We are actively looking to acquire similar businesses both in Europe and the U.S.,” Papamanuel said. “Or, alternatively, if we can't find suitable businesses to purchase, we will build a green-field site.”

That search could take two to three years, he said.

Until then, he added, the company will continue to ship product to the region and outsource some manufacturing of popular offerings in Europe and North America.

Era always has been a global operation, he said, noting “we started exporting goods six months after we started the business.” But it also has a solid foothold in Australia, where he said the firm has an 80 percent share of the market.

About 45 percent of the company's business is global, he said, pointing out that it has a presence in about 74 countries with a very strong share of Asia. It produces and sells about 800 different urethane products world-wide, Papamanuel said.

Innovations introduced by the firm's chemists has helped it progress globally.

Those products have proven to be very successful in the market, according to Andy Clock, who heads ADC Solutions L.L.C. in Southington, Conn., and is the company's North American urethane technical consultant.

He said Era invests heavily in product research and development annually. Its offerings include spray polyurethane and polyureas, rigid and flexible foam systems, rubber binders, timber floor coatings and a wide assortment of other goods.

Era has been growing internationally at about a 5 to 6 percent rate annually, Papamanuel said at the Polyurethane Manufacturers Association annual meeting and Supplier Showcase, held recently in Charlotte, N.C.

“We're strictly a chemicals company that provides technical assistance to make finished parts. We specialize in polyurethane chemistry.”

An industrial chemist, he has been in the business for 43 years. He and his wife Tina started Era in 1986; built the firm's headquarters building and a research and development center in Banksmeadow, Australia, in 1992; added a factory in 1993 and a second plant in 2004, both in St. Marys, Australia; and purchased two companies—Applied Polymers and Urethane Coatings Pty Ltd.—in late 2013 and early 2014.

Between its internal expansions and the two acquisitions, the company presently operates four production plants: two in St. Marys, a suburb of Sidney, a third factory in Melbourne, and a fourth in Auckland, New Zealand. It has a work force of about 110.

Papamanuel credits his wife as a key reason the firm has remained on solid footing since its inception, and “the reason we're all sitting here right now.” She's a solid financial administrator and she oversees all administration functions of the company, he said.

“We continue to grow everywhere,” he said, “but our greatest growth potential remains in North America and Europe.”