Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
web
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • ITEC
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • Silicone
    • Latex
    • Coronavirus
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Technical Notebooks
    • International Elastomer Show
    • Women in Tire & Rubber
    • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Goodyear recognized by Lockheed Martin as 'elite supplier'
      EV tire advancements to help secure future
      Lambillotte: Only question on AVs is timing
      CAR official says EV future brighter than autonomous
    • Biden signs executive order, prioritizes U.S.-made EVs, PPE
      Conti starts production of ‘HL' load index tires for select OE customers
      ITC votes to keep duties in place on China P/LT tire imports
      Hankook gains OE fitments on Audi RS Q8
    • Conti starts production of ‘HL' load index tires for select OE customers
      ITC votes to keep duties in place on China P/LT tire imports
      Russia's Kama Tyres expanding truck, ag tire capacities
      Hankook gains OE fitments on Audi RS Q8
    • DuPont investing in Liveo line of silicone products
      A change at the top for Stockwell Elastomerics
      Flexan receives FDA registration for Suzhou facility
      63rd Polyurethanes Technical Conference set for fall
    • Phillips Carbon Black expanding capacity at site in India
      DuPont investing in Liveo line of silicone products
      New systems solutions advance the sustainability of automotive weatherseals
      Arburg: 2021 Technology Days in June will run for 6 days
    • DuPont investing in Liveo line of silicone products
      A change at the top for Stockwell Elastomerics
      Flexan receives FDA registration for Suzhou facility
      Coi Rubber adding on to plant in China
    • WCCO task force navigates pandemic, expands communications
      ASTM cancels April meetings as COVID-19 continues impact
      Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
      Detroit Auto Show canceled; alternative event being planned for September
    • A change at the top for Stockwell Elastomerics
      Angelos Papadimitriou to leave position with Pirelli after six months on job
      Tero Peltomaki named Cimcorp CEO
      Synthomer CEO MacLean to step down by early 2022
    • Biden signs executive order, prioritizes U.S.-made EVs, PPE
      ITC votes to keep duties in place on China P/LT tire imports
      Hwa Fong joins Taiwan tire makers' bid for alternative to import duties
      NLRB certifies USW as bargaining unit for Kumho Tire plant in Georgia
    • Editorial: Against a backdrop of turmoil, M&A deals give glimpse of normalcy
      Column: Pandemic looms over everything in life, business in 2020
      Column: Lessons from the 2020 Best Places to Work
      Editorial: Silicone hit hard by pandemic, expected to bounce back
    • Advancements in synchronous drive belt design for industrial and consumer markets
      Effects of multiple repurposed materials for reinforcements of standard rubber compounds
      Impact of peroxide blends on the cure rate and aged properties in HNBR
      Techniques to detect long chain branching in polymers
    • Rubber Division seeks abstracts for 200th Technical Meeting
      WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      IEC keynote: Communication key to logistics
      IEC speaker: Specialized elastomers may reduce spread of life-threatening pathogens
    • WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      New video celebrates women in rubber industry
      ITEC panelists say women can thrive in tire industry
      Rubber Division planning second Women of Rubber event
    • Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Faster Access to Your Polymer Compounding Experts Around the World
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Take a walk thru a HEXPOL Lab
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      HEXPOL offers a unique selection of High Performance Elastomers to match your application requirements
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      It’s what you can’t see that makes the Difference at HEXPOL
  • Blogs
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
    • New Products: Nova thinks outside the box with sealing tech
      New Products: MonTech introduces 1,500 kN lab press
      New products: 3M introduces new durable, pliable medical adhesive
      New Products: Lanxess launches energy-efficient PU elastomer
    • Wacky World of Rubber: How Trelleborg, teens sealed a spot in the world record book
      Wacky World of Rubber: Of chicken and feet, but not chicken feet
      Wacky World of Rubber: Time to go mattress shopping
      Wacky World of Rubber: Because nothing says football like 'frunk' shrimp
  • Newsletters
    • Rubber in Automotive
    • Silicone News
    • Latex News
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Biden signs executive order, prioritizes U.S.-made EVs, PPE
      Conti starts production of ‘HL' load index tires for select OE customers
      ITC votes to keep duties in place on China P/LT tire imports
      Hankook gains OE fitments on Audi RS Q8
    • DuPont investing in Liveo line of silicone products
      A change at the top for Stockwell Elastomerics
      Flexan receives FDA registration for Suzhou facility
      Coi Rubber adding on to plant in China
    • Bridgestone bets on guayule as alternative natural rubber source
      Synthomer CEO MacLean to step down by early 2022
      Jack Murphy joins Akron Dispersions
      Synthomer optimistic, raises earnings forecast
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Directory
  • Resources
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The Company Behind the Inventory
      Sponsored By French Oil Mill Machinery
      Process Improvement, Cost Reduction with Custom Press Systems
    • Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Cooper Standard deploys lab informatics platform to synchronize R&D
      Sponsored By Elkem
      LSR Select™: A solution to improve your financial impact in molding applications
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Peroxide Cureable Silicone Injection Molding
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Understanding and Selecting Performance Additives for Rubber Compounding
  • Data
  • Events
    • RPN Events
    • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • ITEC Library
    • International Silicone Conference Library
    • 2021 Healthcare Elastomers Virtual Edition
      2021 Rubber in Automotive Virtual Edition
      2022 ITEC
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
May 07, 2018 02:00 AM

PolyOne focusing on customers and sustainability at NPE2018

Frank Esposito
Plastics News
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Robert Patterson

    AVON LAKE, Ohio—At NPE2018, PolyOne Corp. is putting its money where its customers are.

    "Our overall investment at NPE is doubling, and we're having our Investor Day there as well," Robert Patterson, PolyOne chairman, president and CEO, said in a recent interview at the firm's headquarters in Avon Lake.

    "Interacting with customers is the best reason to be at NPE," he added. "We're investing to drive growth in sales, marketing and technology. That could be the difference maker in results for this year and beyond."

    PolyOne, North America's largest compounder and concentrates maker and one of the region's largest resin distributors, is launching or expanding several product lines at the show. Those efforts include:

    • OnFlex-brand LO thermoplastic elastomers, a portfolio of low VOC/FOG and odor polymer grades that assist OEMs in meeting vehicle interior air quality standards in HVAC dampers, fasteners and clips, coin trays, center consoles, door pockets and other interior parts.
    • Resilience-brand LS PVC materials for LED lenses. The materials are durable in extreme outdoor environments and highly resistant to corrosion and chemicals.
    • Comptek-brand high-temperature formulations. High-heat products based on extreme-heat polymeric materials such as PEEK, PPS and PSU. Properties that can be achieved with these materials include transparency, electrical and/or thermal conductivity, laser marking and X-ray opacity.
    • Lactra-brand SX UV barrier additive. In solid masterbatch form, this additive provides high-performance light blocking technology and protection for liquid dairy contents when added to monolayer PET bottles.
    • FireCon-brand CPE. Based on chlorinated polyethylene, this flame-retardant material resists acids, alkalis, oils, fuels, chemical solvents, extreme temperatures and weather.
    • OnColor-brand Brilliant concentrates, a new line of special effect masterbatches that meet the need for paint replacement and premium surface finish.
    • Hammerhead Marine Panels, which are continuous-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic sandwich panels that offer boat manufacturers a lighter, more efficient alternative to traditional marine construction materials.

    PolyOne is also focused on sustainability, according to Patterson, and on what it calls "the four P's" of people, product, planet and performance. He addressed these topics in the firm's most recent letter to shareholders in its 2017 annual report.

    "We look at sustainability as it relates to our products," Patterson said. "We want to better articulate what sustainability is and what it means for our future."

    Sustainability efforts for PolyOne in 2017 included 26 energy-saving projects worldwide that reduced the firm's energy usage by 10 percent and 47 waste-minimizing projects that reduced waste generated by 11 percent.

    At PolyOne's plant in Assesse, Belgium, a solar energy roof is saving 90 tons of carbon dioxide per year. Solar panels and wind turbines at that site could generate a majority of the plant's electricity. PolyOne also has replaced metal halide light fixtures with LEDs at its Gordon Composites plant in Montrose, Colo., resulting in 16 percent energy savings.

    "Plastics are still advantaged vs. other materials, and our customers are asking us how to make their products better," Patterson said. "We're seeing people taking more of a role to increase awareness of recyclability and recycling."

    In 2017, PolyOne saw sales climb almost 10 percent to just over $3.2 billion, as profit from continuing operations grew more than 4 percent to almost $174 million. The firm also had its eighth consecutive year of record levels of adjusted earnings per share in 2017.

    PolyOne has increased its sales, marketing and research and development resources by nearly 20 percent in the last three years. Also since 2014, the firm has decreased the size of its average sales territory by 4 percent while adding sales personnel. This change has resulted in a 20 percent increase in sales calls per seller and a 40 percent increase in sales calls made overall.

    "In sales, we've become a specialty company," Patterson said. "We want to improve our sales mix and drive sales growth and margin expansion."

    Before decreasing the size of its sales territories, PolyOne "didn't have the resources we needed to spend more time with customers," he added. "Now we can do that and prospect for more business."

    PolyOne also stayed very active in the acquisitions market, making four during 2017. The firm now has made eight acquisitions in less than three years. PolyOne spent almost $164 million on its four 2017 acquisitions.

    This year, the firm has purchased Spanish color and additive concentrates maker IQAP Masterbatch Group SL.

    "We make acquisitions where we can invest and drive growth," Patterson said. "Smaller bolt-ons lend themselves to what we want to do. We can take what they have and accelerate growth. That's kind of our sweet spot."

    Lower corporate tax rates in the U.S. will impact PolyOne by 1 percent to 1.5 percent, he added, allowing the firm to repatriate cash that it can use for investment.

    Patterson said that a potential tariff fight between the U.S. and China likely wouldn't affect PolyOne directly.

    "What we sell in China, we make in China," he explained. "The impact for us would be more based on how tariffs impact the economy overall and how they affect our customers."

    Patterson, 45, joined PolyOne in 2008 as the firm's chief financial officer. He previously held management posts with Novelis Inc. and SPX Corp.

    In 2014, Patterson became PolyOne's president and CEO. He added the additional title of chairman in 2016.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber & Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber & Plastics News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    web
    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Contact the Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • ITEC
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • Silicone
      • Latex
      • Coronavirus
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Technical Notebooks
      • International Elastomer Show
      • Women in Tire & Rubber
      • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Blogs
      • Products
      • Wacky World of Rubber
    • Newsletters
      • Rubber in Automotive
      • Silicone News
      • Latex News
      • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Photo Galleries
    • Directory
    • Resources
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Data
    • Events
      • RPN Events
      • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • ITEC Library
      • International Silicone Conference Library
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION