Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
  • Tire Business
web
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • Silicone
    • Latex
    • Coronavirus
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Technical Notebooks
    • Women in Tire & Rubber
    • ITEC
    • International Elastomer Show
    • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Israel's Tactile Mobility launches tire insight technology
      Bidirectional EVs could lend a hand in power crisis
      WDK: German rubber industry set for double-digit growth in 2021
      Dana acquires electronics and software provider Pi Innovo
    • Israel's Tactile Mobility launches tire insight technology
      Goodyear joins EASE Logistics, Ohio city to launch connected mobility pilot program
      Goodyear to raise prices on passenger tires
      Ryan Patterson to lead Goodyear-Cooper integration efforts
    • Smithers opens doors to new medical device testing lab
      Maine's Poly Labs doubles work force
      Foam shortage a major concern for auto makers, seating suppliers
      New Products: Kraiburg launches advanced, ‘supersoft' TPEs
    • Emerald to close Illinois rubber additives site
      Smithers opens doors to new medical device testing lab
      Dana acquires electronics and software provider Pi Innovo
      Gelest's Barry Arkles enters National Academy of Engineering
    • Gelest's Barry Arkles enters National Academy of Engineering
      ECO starts 'first' U.S. silicone rubber recycling plant
      New legacy taking shape at Stockwell Elastomerics
      Fenner opens new textile treatment line in Pennsylvania
    • Ohio firm focuses on making better masks in U.S.
      U.S. to increase NBR, make gloves using Defense Production Act
      Tire Cologne canceled; rescheduled for 2022
      Tire Technology Expo canceled for 2021
    • Ryan Patterson to lead Goodyear-Cooper integration efforts
      New legacy taking shape at Stockwell Elastomerics
      Davis-Standard promotes Andrew Alaya to aftermarket sales role
      Harwick Standard adds Flores to West Coast sales team
    • Bidirectional EVs could lend a hand in power crisis
      Braskem Idesa reopens PE complex in Mexico with new contract
      To boost U.S. microchip production, Biden administration must find supply chains weaknesses
      TIA among associations against increase to minimum wage
    • Column: Value is the stuff in custom mixing
      New legacy taking shape at Stockwell Elastomerics
      Column: Discussions of race, equality may mean uncomfortable moments
      Column: Business trips possible because of essential workers
    • Part 2: Studying RPA ASTM methods for detecting compound quality differences
      Studying RPA ASTM methods for detecting compound quality differences
      Damage mechanism in oil and gas formulations during downhole testing
      Advancements in synchronous drive belt design for industrial and consumer markets
    • Rubber Division introduces WORD webinar series
      WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      New video celebrates women in rubber industry
      ITEC panelists say women can thrive in tire industry
    • 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
    • Rubber Division introduces WORD webinar series
      Rubber Division seeks abstracts for 200th Technical Meeting
      WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      IEC keynote: Communication key to logistics
    • 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: Kraiburg launches advanced, ‘supersoft' TPEs
      New Products: Mahr Inc. introduces MarForm MMQ 500 Form Tester
      New Products: Starrett expands field-of-view for multi-sensor vision system
      New Products: Nova thinks outside the box with sealing tech
    • 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
    • Israel's Tactile Mobility launches tire insight technology
      Bidirectional EVs could lend a hand in power crisis
      WDK: German rubber industry set for double-digit growth in 2021
      Dana acquires electronics and software provider Pi Innovo
    • Gelest's Barry Arkles enters National Academy of Engineering
      ECO starts 'first' U.S. silicone rubber recycling plant
      New legacy taking shape at Stockwell Elastomerics
      Fenner opens new textile treatment line in Pennsylvania
    • Top Glove eyes new expansions with Hong Kong listing
      Sri Trang Gloves starts major capacity expansion
      Synthomer dismisses takeover reports
      Combined Goodyear-Cooper Tire company has tire technology, sustainability edge
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Directory
  • Resources
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • HB Chemical
      Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The HB Chemical and Ravago Partnership: Taking Customer Service to a New Level
      Sponsored By HB Chemical
      Above and Beyond with HB Chemical
      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.
      Labs of the Future: How to Choose a Laboratory Information Management System in 2021
      Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Cooper Standard deploys lab informatics platform to synchronize R&D
      Sponsored By Elkem
      LSR Selectâ„¢: A solution to improve your financial impact in molding applications
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Peroxide Cureable Silicone Injection Molding
  • 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
      2021 International Latex Conference Virtual Edition
      2022 ITEC
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
November 19, 2020 10:20 AM

ARDL family grows as it manages move, COVID-19

Erin Pustay Beaven
Rubber & Plastics News Staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    ARDL photo
    ARDL is preparing space at its Barberton, Ohio, facility for a mixing, compounding and molding laboratory. The move should be complete by summer 2021.

    AKRON—It was just last year that Akron Rubber Development Laboratory Inc. began packing its things and moving into a more spacious home in Barberton, Ohio. It's a good thing, too, because the ARDL family continues to grow.

    ARDL, in October, acquired Experimental Services Inc., an Akron-based testing services laboratory that provides static, dynamic, fatigue and vibration testing for rubber industry manufacturers around the world.

    The acquisition was a natural one for ARDL and ESI, companies that have worked together for years. Moreover, ARDL CEO Tim Samples said, the experience the ESI team brings to the ARDL family further strengthens testing capabilities.

    "Their specialty in engineering testing has made them unique and a natural to fit into ARDL's engineering testing group," Samples said in a statement. "The best part is that ARDL will continue to gain from the input of both Greg Schilling and Karl Winkler, who developed and grew this business and have cultivated trusted relationships with manufacturers over the past three decades."

    Eventually, all of ESI's services will move to ARDL's 136,000-sq.-ft. building in Barberton. For now, however, the operations will continue without delay from ESI's current facility.

    Meanwhile, ARDL continues to consolidate operations in Barberton, bringing together all aspects of the business, which is spread across three facilities in Akron.

    The process is slow and methodical, but it remains on track for completion by 2026. According to Bonnie Stuck, ARDL president and senior technical adviser, the company is renovating its new home to accommodate all the testing and custom mixing services.

    ARDL also wants to take time transporting and hooking up the large, heavy pieces of equipment. Once that's complete, many of the operations need to be recertified.

    Bonnie Stuck

    All of that, Stuck said, takes time.

    "We don't want to be overextended," Stuck said. "We are doing it in stages for two reasons. First, we can't shut down all of the business at the same time. This is a massive move; you have to do it in stages from a financial and physical standpoint."

    For now, the focus is on moving the mixing, compounding and molding laboratory. Renovations are underway at the Barberton site, and the space should be ready for full implementation of the lab within the next six to seven months.

    When that move is complete, roughly half of the ARDL team will be working out of the new Barberton facility. At that time, it will house the engineering, microbiology, quality, accounting, human resources and payroll departments. Development technical advisers also will be located at the Barberton facility.

    The executive administration, as well as the physical testing, microscopy, chemical services, pharmaceutical and plastics operations will continue to operate in Akron as the company gears up for the next phase of the move.

    Stronger together
    Don't let the fact that ARDL operates out of multiple facilities fool you. The company is one team. And it's a team that's stronger today than ever before, Stuck said, despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    It could be argued that the company is stronger because of the challenges brought by COVID-19.

    For ARDL, the first major pandemic hurdle was learning to operate safely during the outbreak.

    "We were pretty sure that we were an essential business," Stuck said, noting that in March, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine had set some specific guidelines for businesses deemed essential. "We had to make sure that we weren't violating the law."

    Ensuring the safety of employees throughout the pandemic requires daily, thorough cleaning of the facilities, temperature checks and mask mandates for employees working in the buildings. Social distancing is implemented where possible, Stuck said, but sometimes the lab spaces don't allow for 6-foot distancing.

    Employees exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms are not permitted to work in the buildings, and ARDL has done its best to accommodate all employees with work-from-home opportunities. Stuck said she helped to move and set up desktop computers for several employees, especially for those who were in high-risk categories for the virus.

    ARDL photo
    By mid-2021, ARDL’s Barberton facility will house the engineering, microbiology, quality, accounting, human resources and payroll departments.

    What made the early months of the pandemic so difficult was the uncertainty around how to manage the coronavirus. Many of the employees, Stuck said, were nervous about coming into the labs, fearing exposure to COVID-19. In these instances, she said, the company did all it could to accommodate employees who, because of the nature of their jobs, could not work from home.

    Employees were permitted to use vacation and sick time, and in some cases take time off without pay. It was important to the company, Stuck said, that employees could keep their benefits going.

    Many did take advantage of opportunities to stay safe at home. That, coupled with the few employees who took time off because they exhibited COVID-19 symptoms, left ARDL short-staffed.

    What they weren't short on, Stuck said, was grit. Employees stepped up, took on additional responsibilities and helped out in areas where they otherwise wouldn't have worked.

    "People ended up doing a lot of things they normally wouldn't do," Stuck said. "Everybody stepped up and we came out of it more a team, which is what you want to do."

    A good portion of ARDL's work this spring focused on the rapidly growing needs of the medical industry, so its services were sorely needed. The automotive industry had slowed and ARDL's business in this arena slowed with it. But the medical demand kept the company busy during the pandemic's spring peak.

    Now that countries and companies around the globe are learning how to manage the pandemic, business is picking up across all sectors. That's good news for companies like ARDL, which serves diverse markets.

    "From a business standpoint, we have recovered quite a bit," Stuck said. "We are close to being where we were before the pandemic."

    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
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • Silicone
      • Latex
      • Coronavirus
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Technical Notebooks
      • Women in Tire & Rubber
      • ITEC
      • International Elastomer Show
      • 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