After a year or more of research and hard work to expand, AIN Plastics is pleased to announce the opening of a new AIN Plastics Distributor Branch in the St. Louis Missouri area.
New Business Locations Don’t Happen Overnight
This week I had the opportunity to talk with Chris Urban, Branch Manager for AIN Plastics new St. Louis Area Distribution Facility. I asked him what it took to get a new branch opened up. Chris said they started with finding the right location, which turned out to be in the same building as the St. Louis area ThyssenKrupp Materials NA Facility (AIN Plastics parent company since 1993). Then came finding the right equipment which includes a brand new saw for custom cutting orders and finding just the right people with both customer service and previous plastics experience. Chris noted they wanted to hit the ground running from their first day of business. He went on to say:
“We have worked hard in preparation over the past year prior to our opening and we are very excited to see our hard work pay off. ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, AIN Plastics Division did a great deal of research regarding this project. St. Louis is an ideal location to further extend our distribution. From this branch we will be able to provide customer service and quick turn around on orders to Missouri and surrounding states.”
Chris also said he wanted to thank all the AIN people that came to St. Louis from other branches to support his team for the first few days. “Having the support of the entire AIN Plastics company has made starting the new branch a great experience for everyone. We feel truly supported and connected to everyone in the company.”
AIN Offers More than Materials – It’s about Value Added Services
I asked Chris about the services they will be offering. Chris says the new AIN Plastics distribution branch offers a comprehensive list of value added services including:
- Close tolerance custom cutting of orders
- Customized Inventory and stocking programs including just in time delivery solutions
- A vast inventory of sheet and rod materials, some of them highly specialized
- Professional team with years of plastics industry experience
- ThyssenKrupp Nationwide Logistics for the best possible delivery
More Manufacturers are Choosing Plastic Due to it’s Many Benefits
Chris talked about how the selection of plastics is changing rapidly due to its value as a lightweight component in manufacturing, it’s ability to be reused and recycled, and it’s cost. Plastics are often an affordable material compared to more traditional resources such as metal, wood, or glass, and they often outlast and outperform those materials. Researchers are always developing even better plastics. “We have a team in place that can help customers sort through and not just find a plastic that will work, but rather the right plastic for their application.”
Plastics, Plastics, and More!
When it comes to what plastics the St. Louis AIN Plastics branch will stock, Chris gave me a short rundown and said this doesn’t come close to covering all the materials we have:
- Industrial Plastics
- High Pressure Laminates
- Engineering Plastics including
- ABS
- Acetal
- Cast Acrylic
- Polycarbonate
- Radel R
- Semitron
- Techtron
- Composite Tooling products
- RAMPF Styling, Modeling, and Tooling Boards
- RAMPF Close Contour Paste and Casting Materials
- Thermoform Materials
- Epoxy Casting and Laminating Resins
- Foundry and Pattern Materials
- Plastic Tubing including Medical and Food Grade
- FDA compliant plastics for medical and food service industries
- Silicone
- Rapid Prototyping
- DuPont TM Vespel® (AIN Plastics is the Authorized Distributor)
Well, you get the idea, it’s a long list and that’s just the beginning. Chris says the best way to learn more is by visiting the website ainplastics.com or better yet by giving them a call at 877.246.7700.
The AIN Plastics Distribution Facility is located next to the ThyssenKrupp Materials NA facility:
59 Interstate Drive
Wentzville, MO 63385
Hours of operation are Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
For more information regarding the new AIN Plastics St. Louis Area Branch
CONTACT: Christopher Urban
TEL: 877.246.7700
DIRECT: 636-698-6295
FAX: 636-327-4369
EMAIL: christopher.urban@thyssenkrupp.com
That’s it for this week’s news. Look for our other posts where we look not at ourselves, but at the world of plastics. What’s new, what works, why certain plastics are good in specific applications and more. IF you do want to learn more about AIN Plastics and our history check out the “About Us” page on our site.
See you in the blogosphere again soon!
Lisa Anderson
Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division