LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Tire Conversion Technologies, a Latham, N.Y.-based manufacturer of custom OEM recycled rubber products, was a first-time exhibitor at the International Elastomer Conference, held Oct. 9-11 in Louisville.
TCT provides products to various industries including traffic safety, oil and gas, solar energy, HVAC and construction services, according to Jeff Henry, TCT vice president of product development.
"We buy the crumb, and mold the products from that," Henry said.
Among other products, TCT makes rubber bases for portable office dividers, according to Henry. It also performs R&D for the food processing industry. It has designed and patented the Sani-Fork fork lift technology to prevent contamination in transferring food from tractor-trailers to processing facilities, he said.
TCT also has four patents for HVAC rooftop support systems, he said.
The company has been in business for about 20 years, but for the first 10—under its original owner—it concentrated on a product called Duroboard, which it no longer makes, according to Henry.
"The original owner received a patent on a process to straighten a used tire and create a board," Henry said of Duroboard.
However, the wear on the used tires made it difficult to get a uniform thickness for the boards, he said. This created a problem with marketing the product, except as rubber pads on snowplows, he said.
Although TCT is not the typical IEC exhibitor, the company decided to exhibit at the conference to see if they could attract new business, according to Henry.
"It only takes one company looking for an OEM supplier, looking for new, totally recycled products," he said.