Graphic Arts Rubber celebrates golden anniversary by looking to a bright future

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio—Graphic Arts Rubber is a lot like many of the smaller players in the rubber custom mixing business.

The Cuyahoga Falls-based mixer is focused on quality and service. It has diversified during its history when needed. The firm doesn't try to be all things to all people.

And its 19-person staff can take on multiple roles to make sure that everything is done as the customer requests.

Graphic Arts, like most others in the rubber industry, also made it through a difficult pandemic-driven 2020, and is dealing with pricing and logistics issues that have made 2021 almost as crazy as last year.

Most of all, though, General Manager Dave Corron said Graphic Arts Rubber is a company that is proud of its 50-year history and poised for what he believes is a bright future.

"I think our history speaks for itself," Corron told Rubber & Plastics News. "We've been around for a long time, and I see us being around for a lot longer. For the size company we are, I think we do a great job."

Expanding its focus

Given its name, it follows that Graphic Arts started out with a focus on mixing elastomers for the printing industry in 1971, with a large percentage of its output for printing and rubber roller usage. But as photo polymers came into play, rubber saw a shrinking share of that market.

"We decided we had to diversify, so we stretched out," said Corron, who has a 23-year history with the company.

While it still mixes a good amount of rubber for graphic arts, printing and roll covers, other end markets have grown in stature. Those include mixing rubber for belt covers; pharmaceuticals and Food and Drug Administration compounds; general molded goods; military specified and ASTM compounds; fabricated articles such as bladders and hoses; cement and paint gums; and certain tire-related applications, including white and colored sidewalls, stain barriers and calendering of control and testing stocks.

Its 44,000-sq.-ft. factory boasts three calenders, sizes 24, 54 and 66 inches, along with four 60-inch mills, an 84-inch mill and a 42-inch mill that Corron said was purchased when it began receiving an increased number of requests for smaller batches.

"We can get orders as small as 10 pounds, up to 10,000 pounds," he said. "It's a broad thing for us. Bigger orders aren't as frequent. But with the smaller mill, we can do that as well. Because of what we do, it's all over the place."

Graphic Arts uses a broad range of natural and synthetic rubbers in its mixing, and sees its ability to match a customer's need for color as one of its strengths. Corron said many times the color is specified, where the customer has to match a Pantone color, while others need a variety of light and dark shades.

In some applications, the colors are critical, according to the Graphic Arts GM. Some customers will dictate the type of compound and its hardness, using different colors to represent particular characteristics. Some belting firms will use different colors to designate wear levels, so when the material gets to a certain color, the end user knows it's near time to change the belt.

"The way we're set up, we can do those colors quickly," Corron said. "We're clean enough that we can go from one shade to the next in a matter of minutes on our equipment."

Because of its work with color, Graphic Arts doesn't use any loose carbon black in its compounds, ensuring there will be no cross-contamination.

For compounds that need carbon black, Graphic Arts uses black masterbatch mixed outside its premises. The Cuyahoga Falls firm is owned by Rex-Hide Industries Inc., which owns a number of other rubber mixers that can provide what's needed. Some of those sister companies include Dyna-Mix, Pinnacle, Rainbow Master Mixing and others.

"They all mix, but we're the only one that does calendering as well," Corron said. "Rex-Hide is a super company to work for and full of resources."

Setting itself apart

Corron said the firm's management has noticed that over time, customers come their way because they aren't getting proper service from a previous mixer. He said they're looking for some of the old-fashioned touches that aren't as prevalent in today's business world.

"They still want to be able to pick up a phone and call someone and get a response," Corron said. "We are that type of company, 100 percent. When you call here, you will get one of us on the phone.

"We have customers we probably wouldn't have if it wasn't for our service. Everyone is No. 1 to us. Everyone has to feel they are important. Everyone has to know they are important."

He related an old saying that you can have two big customers that put you in good shape. But you also need the 20 little ones that, if you lose one of your big accounts, the smaller buyers will help keep you afloat.

"All accounts are big to us," Corron said. "We treat everybody the same. When you call us, you are No. 1. If we can't supply you with what you need, we will try to find someone who can. We're not afraid to do that, because down the road maybe we can supply them with something they need."

He sees the firm's 19 employees as being an "all hands on deck" kind of staff, doing whatever is needed to take care of the customer. Even President Glen Hoffman will go out on the production floor and run a mill at times.

Likewise, everyone acts as a sales person for the company, because it's their product and service. "We get a lot of referrals by word of mouth. We don't have dedicated sales people. All of us are sales people. If we get an inquiry on the phone, we pick it up and take it."

And if the company doesn't have something in its formulary that will satisfy the need, the Graphic Arts technical staff will work with a customer to develop something that works.

Corron acknowledged that the mixer doesn't get many customers looking for the absolute lowest price per pound, "But they can call us if they need 50 pounds or 100 pounds, or need a certain color, we're confident we can get them what they need," he said. "If you're looking for 40,000 pounds for under a buck a pound, we're just not the company, and we know that. And most of our customers understand that as well.

"It's extremely competitive. I think the driving force is quality and service. Price is also there. The old saying is you get two out of three, so pick two. Everybody wants a piece of the pie, so you have to be strong. You have to give them quality and service. If you can't compete with the price, you have to get them with the other two."

Surviving 2020

Sales were down significantly for Graphic Arts during last year's COVID-19 pandemic-driven marketplace. But Corron said the company was fortunate, having been deemed essential.

That enabled the firm to keep all of its staff employed.

"Everyone was willing to work and do what needed to be done," he said. "So we did our part and kept everybody on. It went well, all things considered."

The company followed all of the necessary precautions and protocols. There were a few who contracted COVID-19, including Corron, but none had what might be deemed a serious case, according to the executive.

Graphic Arts is close to being back to normal with its operations, he said, though it still limits visits to customers, seeing them only with an appointment made in advance.

"This year definitely looks much better, and everybody has pitched in to do as much as they can to help us try to keep up with (demand). We have extended lead times, but our staff are all on board doing what they can to help satisfy the customers."

Corron said the business is on pace to rebound to 2019 levels, and possibly even exceed them, though he wouldn't reveal the firm's sales totals.

Crazy market conditions

One thing that has been difficult for Graphic Arts—as it has been for companies in so many other industries, including rubber—has been the volatile logistics and pricing conditions that have been so prevalent in 2021.

The mixer has bought some items further out to make sure it has inventory to meet demand. But Corron said that isn't always an option, because certain things are on sales control. So if a history demonstrates that a certain amount of raw material is required, some vendors won't allow purchase of more than that amount.

He's at a bit of a loss to understand how things got so bad so quickly—including everything from ports that have been closed or overwhelmed, to shipment of freight and even common carriers having a huge backlog that's causing ever longer lead times.

"Nobody is immune to what's going on," he said.

But pricing has been the most difficult trend to deal with.

"Price increases are a daily thing. It's a challenge for us because we don't have that buying power that a big company has," Corron said. "I think it's a 'take it or leave it attitude' out there, where the pricing and (logistics) go. I just feel we've seen immediate price increases come in with no notifications. That's your price. Take it or leave it."

And it's impacting nearly all aspects of business. Everything from the poly liners used with its calendering operations, to corrugated packaging, not to mention the spike in raw material costs.

"I know things are taking off," he said. "Last year nobody did anything, and this year everybody is trying to get back at it. They are trying to take last year and this year and put it together in one year. That makes it pretty tough."

Graphic Arts also tries not to have multiple price increases in a year, but this year the firm is having to watch things very closely, according to Corron. "At some point, you have to pass some of this on because you're not going to stay in business if everything keeps going up and you don't react to it," he said. "We did a price increase early in the year, based on what already was getting started. We review it monthly. At some point we'll have to do it again, I'm afraid, if this keeps going."

On the flip side, some customers have offered to pay Graphic Arts more if they are able to expedite shipments. But Corron said that's not the way the firm does business.

"We've always prided ourselves on doing the best we can. The price is the price," he said. "We're not going to take advantage of a situation. We just wouldn't do that to our customers."

That's not to say that if a customer is in need of 100 pounds of a compound, that Graphic Arts won't try to get the order out quicker, as long as it doesn't interfere with an order already in place by another customer, he said.

Thus far, the mixer and calendering firm has been able to meet customer needs throughout the difficult logistics dilemma. There have been a few delayed shipments, but nothing insurmountable.

"We've been fortunate to this point," he said, "that we've found other resources or we've been able to stay ahead of it enough that we haven't caused our customers too much grief.

"Two years ago, customers might not have been as accepting to the extended lead times. But I think everybody has been very patient and understanding to the situations going on."

Looking to the future, Corron sees nothing but good things for Graphic Arts. He doesn't say what capacity is, but indicated there is plenty of room to grow with its current capabilities.

"I feel Graphic Arts Rubber looks very promising in the future of the industry," he said. "If we can give quality and service and get the supply of materials, I think there is a lot of opportunity out there."