R.E. Carroll adds talc line to product offerings

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—In the nearly 100 years since its founding, R.E. Carroll Inc. has made a name for itself in the rubber industry. Best known for the sale of process oils, the company distributes a range of additives.

"We sell all compounding ingredients for sulfur-cured rubber compounds," Vice President David Carroll said, "everything from the sulfur itself to additives for reinforcement—silica."

But even now, in it's 97th year, the company is growing, adapting and moving forward just as it's always done, according to Carroll.

Most notable, he said, from the International Elastomer Conference expo floor in Knoxville, is a new partnership that is giving R.E. Carroll more product offering depth. Just about three months ago, R.E. Carroll partnered with Specialty Mineral Inc. for the distribution of its ground talc products.

All of the talc products are mined at Specialty Mineral's Barretts, Mont., mine, and find use in polyolefins in automotive and appliance spaces or, in the case of the Sericron series offered by R.E. Carroll, in paints and coatings markets.

"They sell into other industries, but for the rubber industry, they wanted us to help them penetrate this market because we have been in the industry for such a long time," Carroll said, noting that R.E. Carroll carries those grades most applicable to its customers.

For R.E. Carroll, though, adapting isn't just about broadening and deepening its product offerings. It's also about maintaining critical relationships with customers, suppliers and partners.

That has been a tenant for R.E. Carroll for 97 years, and it remains at the core of what the company does today.

"We are not looking to just sell products to our customers; we want to partner with them. And it's the same thing with our suppliers. We don't change suppliers frequently (because) we value long-term relationships."

In more recent years, maintaining those relationships has required the navigation of some significant challenges, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused logistics disruptions across the globe.

"It is a daily challenge," Carroll said. "Over the last year and a half it has been crazy. Everything from the COVID shutdowns to the port congestion to weather is a challenge. … The labor shortages that are affecting our customers are, to some extent, affecting the trucking companies (we depend on)."

But R.E. Carroll is managing those challenges daily, Carroll said, mainly because everyone in the organization is stepping up to serve its customers—even if it means going the extra mile, coming in on the weekend of staying a little later.

"Our customers are not just a number," Carroll said. "Even with our customer service, we try to get to know our customers by name. … We will go the extra mile, especially now with the challenges with logistics. We have had guys come in on Saturday to make sure a shipment can get out because a customer needed something to keep them going. We have jumped through hoops for customers to get them materials."