Going into this ranking, we had a few hypotheses. Among them was the idea that the backbone of custom rubber compounding is small- and mid-sized business. Survey results indicate this is the case. Once you get past the top several firms in the business, it's clear there remains a place for the smaller, niche players in the mixing sector.
According to those companies participating in this year's survey, 60 percent have 100 or fewer employees working in North America. Further, more than half of respondents (53 percent) operate with fewer than 50 North American employees.
While we believe the results of this year's ranking show just a small snapshot of a much larger industry picture, we do believe it is an accurate one. And our hope is that we can continue to build that picture company by company.
Throughout the year, we will update the information on the rankings as more data becomes available. And that happens with your help.
Ultimately, your participation gives us a richer foundation on which to build future rankings, and it provides the industry with more resources to understand how it's growing, which trends are emerging and how businesses can best capitalize on those trends.
Companies that may not yet have participated in the survey still have the opportunity to do so. To learn more or obtain a survey for this year's data set, contact Editorial Researcher Robin Clark at [email protected] or visit rubbernews.com/mixing-survey.