Category Archives: Plastics News

AIN Plastics Expands – New Branch in St. Louis, MO

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.”

GPO, Materials for O&P, TeflonPlastics, 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

www.ainplastics.com

 

39th Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium for Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP)

AIN Plastics Dick Cubero and Phil Andriano are on hand at this year’s 39th Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium for the AAOP (American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists).

O&P expert, Dick Cubero noted, “The Annual Meeting and Symposium of AAOP has become an important annual event for AIN Plastics. We get to sit down with orthotists and prosthetists from all over the country and focus on their needs and concerns for several days. It’s a great time to get to know each other better and to do some real problem solving.”

New Customer Service Features from AIN Plastics

Screen Shots of ainplastics.com new O&P sectionThis year AIN Plastics will be unveiling several new enhancements to their services for orthotists and prosthetists. One we are very happy to announce are updates to our website ainplastics.com. We have always had a section dedicated to our orthotic and prosthetic materials and now we’ve made enhancements that will help make finding material information even easier.

New Tables – For a quick reference, take a look at the tables, sorted by general material types: Polyolefin, Clear Plastics, Rigid Plastics, Flexible Plastics, and Metals. Each table contains a short description, typical applications, and basic test data for Flexural Modulus and Forming Temperature.

More In Depth O&P Material Information – For more in depth information on a material, we’ve added a “Learn More” which takes website users to downloadable .pdfs of technical data, MSDSs and other information currently available. New and improved materials can greatly benefit the professional orthotist and prosthetist as well as the end user of the product developed just for them. But the number of new advances can also be a daunting thing to stay on top of. Our goal is to continue to update the new O&P section of our website as we obtain new information so you always have one easy place to access it all.

New O&P Material Labeling

Label---OandP-2x4Coinciding with the website enhancements are new material labels featuring QR codes! These popular codes work similar to a barcode except you can scan them from a smart phone. The new QR codes will take users directly to the ainplastics,com site and to the particular material they are looking at. If you don’t currently use a QR code scanner on your smart phone, you can easily add one for free by going to your phone’s app store and searching QR. We think this will make access to technical data, MSDSs and more faster and easier.

New Print Guide to Materials for Orthotics and Prosthetics AIN Plastics also revised O&P Material Selection Guidetheir Guide to Materials for Orthotics and Prosthetics. This handy print reference has been a great desk reference for our customers for quite a few years but it was time for a refresh. We took a look and thought – Hey! what if this could also be a handy poster that could hang on the wall so it’s there for you even when your hands are full of plastics! Dick Cubero and Phil Andriano will be handing out these free guides throughout the show along with some shop aprons, and other goodies we think everyone will find useful.

 

Camie 100 Spray Lubricant and Camie 300 Spray Adhesive

Camie 100 and 300 Spray adhesive and Spray on lubricant

Last but not least, Dick Cubero wanted to let people know about a product that many of his customers have had excellent results with. Results have been so good that AIN is sending out free samples for O&P professionals to try. “Camie 300 Spray Adhesive and Camie 100 Spray Lubricant have quickly become the product of choice for many of the orthotists and prosthetists I work with. The adhesive can be used to temporarily position materials, but it also works well as a permanent adhesive in O&P applications like scoliosis jackets.” Dick also said, “The spray on lubricant has really helped to make working with materials easier in all sorts of O&P applications including reducing or eliminating glove marks often left while plastics are being worked and toughened.” He added many users like to spray Camie 100 on the blades of their scissors because it keeps glue from building up and sticking. For more detailed information on Camie 100 and 300 download a pdf of technical data here –  TDS – Camie 100-300 02-13

If you are at the Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium for AAOP I hope you made it to the AIN Plastics booth (#421). But if you are seeing this blog post after the show, it’s no problem. Our website is always available for your use 24/7 at ainplastics.com. The new guide is available as a .pdf download, but you can also contact Dick Cubero or Phil Andriano directly and they can get an original copy sent to you directly along with samples you might need. Of course they are also on hand to answer your O&P material questions whether it pertains to thermoforming, material selection or other related items.

email: dick.cubero@thyssenkrupp.com

email: phil.andriano@thyssenkrupp.com

 

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

www.ainplastics.com

See our photo Gallery of the show –

 

How Amputees and Wheelchair Users Have Benefited from Plastics

In this week’s blog, we have a guest writer here to give us insight into how plastics have affected orthotics and prosthetics. Michael O’Connor has been an Occupational Therapist since 1994. He is now the Executive Director of O’Connor Occupational Therapy Services, PLLC. He works diligently to provide services to amputees, wheelchair users and others.

It’s Been a Big Year in Orthotics and Prosthetics In addition to celebrating holidays and setting New Year’s resolutions, as we end  2012 we tend to see year-in-review articles about significant stories during the past 12 months.  Not to be lost in the highlights of election year politics, extreme weather, and World Series disappointment, the year 2012 has been a remarkable year for individuals demonstrating accomplishments can be unlimited despite a “disability.”

Oscar Pistorius – “The Fastest Man on No Legs” In August, Oscar Pistorius (www.oscarpistorius.com), a 25 year old South African sprinter,  made history  as the first amputee to compete in the Olympics running the 4×40 relay and 400 meter sprint.  Pistorius was born without fibulas (one of the bones in the lower leg).  His legs were considered not capable of bearing weight without fibulas, so both legs were surgically amputated before he was 1 year old with the intention he would develop more naturally into bilateral prosthetics. The carbon fiber blade prosthetics (called Cheetahs) that he runs on have earned him the nickname the “Blade Runner.”  Before this Summer Olympics Pistorius has been celebrated beyond South Africa and the Paralympic community for the 4 gold medals he holds from the 2008 Paralympic games.  He holds the world record in 200 and 400 meter events competing against single-amputee athletes.

Qualifying for this Summer Olympics to run on blades alongside able-bodied athletes required winning court hearings as well as winning track event trials to represent South Africa at this summer’s Games.  Pistorius was originally banned from Olympic competition by the International Associations of Athletics Federation who deemed the carbon fiber blade prosthetics give him an unfair biomechanical advantage over his able-bodied competitors.  As the appeal went on, reports from those hearings and media outlets detailed arguments on both sides regarding the biomechanical breakdown of formulas of momentum, acceleration and speed in comparing the blade prosthetics to human legs.

Pistorius did not medal in the 2012 London Olympics but his challenging and winning the opportunity to complete, and his physical and athletic prowess on the track as well as his grace in interviews stand as an inspiration to us all.

Tammy Duckworth

Click here for more from USNews

Tammy Duckworth – From Iraqi Vet to Illinois House Candidate In September perhaps you saw Illinois’s 8th District U.S. House Candidate Tammy Duckworth (www.tammyduckworth.com) deliver a speech at the Democratic National Convention.  You most likely paid attention when she walked on stage. If you didn’t recall her bright red blazer, you noticed that Duckworth is a double amputee. She walked on stage on bilateral prosthesis, using a single point cane. She is a decorated Iraqi War veteran. Both of her legs were traumatically amputated when a rocket propelled grenade exploded in her lap as she piloted a Black Hawk helicopter near Baghdad in 2004. She is like the individuals that I serve. She did not die. She survived. And she chose to continue to live. Those that I work with will tell you there is a distinction between surviving, and continuing to live. In her DNC speech Duckworth noted “At the hospital (Walter Reed), I realized my new responsibility: to honor the buddies who saved me by serving our military men and woman.” She went on to become the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.  In November Duckworth was successful in unseating the incumbent from Illinois 8th District to the U.S. House of Representatives. Duckworth stands as an example of both the war tactics of the insurgent enemy forces, as well as the advances in heroic trauma care our military medics provide on the front lines for our U.S. service men and women with increased survival rates of multi-limb traumatic amputations in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. A recent USA Today article cites Army data counts of 36 triple amputees and 4 quadruple amputees in Afghanistan since the 2010 surge in U.S. troops alone.

Taylor Morris – Lost all Limbs and Learned to Dance Again Perhaps in 2012 you followed the story of Navy EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) technician Taylor Morris (www.taylormorris.org) who in May 2012 whose combat injuries resulted in loss of all 4 limbs.  His story is remarkable in terms of his significant accomplishments in just 6 months in using the most current technology of metals and plastics in orthotics and prosthetics which have allowed him to regain an active lifestyle that includes walking, dancing, kayaking, and driving. In November President Obama recognized Morris on Veteran’s Day via the President’s Tumblr account:

“As Taylor lay there, fully conscious, bleeding to death, he cautioned the medics to wait before rushing his way. He feared another IED was nearby. Taylor’s concern wasn’t for his own life; it was for theirs. Eventually, they cleared the area. They tended to Taylor’s wounds. They carried him off the battlefield. And days later, Taylor was carried into Walter Reed, where he became only the fifth American treated there to survive the amputation of all four limbs.  Now, Taylor’s recovery has been long, and it has been arduous, and it’s captivated the nation. A few months after the attack, with the help of prosthetics, the love and support of his family, and above all his girlfriend Danielle, who never left his side, Taylor wasn’t just walking again. In a video that went viral, the world watched he and Danielle dance again.” Morris received the Purple Heart in July. His 6:36 minute You Tube video “Unstoppable” will inspire you, may change the way you view people with disabilities, and may change how you view your role in plastics and plastic’s role in changing lives.

The Everyday Heroes – Who do You Know? The men and woman whom I treat as an occupational therapist are quiet heroes. Humble. Hardworking. Survivors. They are dedicated to their recovery and to their families.  They are ordinary people who do extraordinary things.  But you are not likely to see them on the evening news or sports highlights. However when stories of triumph and inspiration do make the news as they did in 2012, I believe it benefits the broader rehabilitation and disability community with increased awareness and dispelling stereotypes. Having worked in the field of rehabilitation since 1988 the past 24 years have been an exciting period with the technological advances that benefit individuals recovering catastrophic injury or illness to live safer and more independently.

We are seeing people accomplish things today that would have sounded like science fiction when I became an occupational therapist in 1994.
Computer related technological advances such as smart phones with an endless array of apps can provide scaffolding of compensatory strategies for person’s with cognitive disabilities. Assistive technology and environmental controls allow person’s with spinal cord injuries to turn on lights, adjust thermostats, and answer phones with voice command, puffs of air, use of trace muscle movement in hands, or through neck and facial muscle movement.
Advances with medical grade plastics and metals have revolutionized patient care as it relates to items such as wheelchairs, orthotics and prosthetics.
Current wheelchairs made of titanium and medical grade plastics are significantly lighter weight than their predecessors which allow less effort for the user to propel the chair as well as less effort for any family member or caregiver who may assist loading or unloading the wheelchair from the back seat or trunk of a car. These wheelchairs do not compromise durability for lighter weight.
Current medical grade plastics for use in orthotics such as splinting material for creating hand splints are superior to those available 20 years ago. Current plastics heat at a lower temperature and they are more pliable resulting in a material that allows a clinician increased ease to customize and modify in cutting and molding splints and orthotics.  These plastics are stronger than past generations of plastic which have resulted in design of lower profile splints and orthotics than in the 80’s and 90’s which results in improved fit, increased comfort, and increased patient compliance with progress recovery.
As with orthotics, the advances in metals and plastics with prosthetics have allowed individuals with amputations to accomplish extraordinary things.

Thanks to advances in plastics prosthetists can now create a prosthesis that has an improved fit on the residual limb, improving comfort for the patient. These prosthetics are lighter weight without compromised strength or durability, allowing the user to move with less effort for increased ambulation, which means carryover for functional use and increased independence.
The patients I work with, the neighbors in your community who benefit from current grade of medical plastics in orthotics and prosthetics, may not be competitive athletes breaking boundaries as they make history in the Olympics.
They may not be U.S Army veterans who have traveled the long road from the lying on the floor of dessert with their legs traumatically amputated by an R.P.G. to walk the stage at a National Convention and be elected to the U.S. Congress.
But their accomplishments measured in terms as it relates to daily function are no less meaningful.
There is dignity in the woman who, on her prosthesis, can walk to the bathroom through a door that her wheelchair won’t fit through, instead of using a bed side commode that someone else has to empty.
There is inspiration in a man who, on his prosthesis, can proudly walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. No gold medal, but no less inspirational.
The college student whose light weight wheelchair that allows him to begin to feel “normal” as he recovers from a spinal cord injury and independently access his dorm and classes at a local Big Ten campus, could be the catalyst that brings revolutionary change to the next 25 years.

Due to plastics for orthotics and prosthetics it’s looking like a very bright 2013. I wish everyone the best in 2013. Happy New Year!

 Michael Patrick O’Connor

Michael Patrick O’Connor, OTRL, CBIST, has worked in the field of rehabilitation since 1988 and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy with a minor in Gerontology from Eastern Michigan University in 1994. Michael is an Occupational Therapist and Executive Director of O’Connor Occupational Therapy Services, PLLC. He can be reached at michael@oconnorot.com www.oconnorot.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/OConnor-Occupational-Therapy-Services-PLLC/287340814709836?ref=stream

To learn more about plastics that are used in orthotics and prosthetics, contact AIN Plastics: 877.246.7700 or visit our website: ainplastics.com

 

The Patriotism of Plastics

In remembering Veterans Day this past week I thought it might be interesting to consider some of the various and unique ways that plastic materials have contributed to safety, security and defense.

How Are Plastic, War And Women’s Stockings Related?

In the late 1800’s Cellulose based products began showing up in the marketplace. This was followed in the 1900’s with materials like PVC’s (PolyVinylidene Chloride) and Phenolic materials (formerly known commonly as Bakelite).  However the big turning point needed to launch plastics into the mainstream industrial world would be that of necessity.  World War II required rationing of many raw resources such as costly silk from Asia which was used in parachutes, cords and cabling, as well as stockings.  DuPont introduced Ladies’ Nylon stockings right from their Wilmington Delaware headquarters and they sold out of the new hosiery within a few hours!  No longer did women have to struggle to afford costly silk stockings (if they could be found) or paint their nylons on. The new stockings looked great, fit well, and outlasted traditional silk or leg painting.
Nylon went on to become one of the most common polymers used in industrial applications, prized for its toughness and excellent wear properties, not mention it’s ability to be quite stylish and fashionable!

Posted by:

Lin Poulin
Telemarketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

http://www.ainplastics.com

Join me for an introduction to the world of plastics!

Your Guide to Plastics Past, Present, and Future…

Lisa Anderson, Marketing Manager ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, AIN Plastics Division

It’s hard to believe it’s been over 6 months since I began working at AIN Plastics. Hard to believe because everyday is packed full of lots of projects and lots of things to learn about plastics. There have been new people to meet and old friends to reconnect with, and it’s all been really fun, so the time has truly flown by.

As I’ve gone through these months I developed a hunch. My guess is, when it come to plastics for manufacturing and specialty uses, a lot of you in many industries are in the same boat because there are so many material choices out there. So I’m inviting you to take the journey along with me to learn about plastics. What are plastics, what are the different types, why are they being used more and more, and what plastics will work for your applications. In fact, I hope you’ll share your applications and experiences as well.

While we are at it we’ll take a stroll through plastics history too. I’m a huge history buff so every time I hear about a plastic I like to dig in and find out how it all started. These days plastics seem to surround us, but it wasn’t that long ago we relied on other materials such as wood, metal, and glass for everything from IV ‘bottles’, to baby bottles, cooking utensils, sporting equipment. Hmmm – what were shower curtains before plastic? I’ll get back to you on that one, or if you know, please share! We love comments.

So let’s get started! Today I’d like to stay in the present and take a look at a helpful piece that came across my desk. As we all know there are literally thousands of types of plastic materials out there and more are hitting the market all the time, so anytime there is something that can help you to select the best one for the job we here at AIN will be sure to share it with you. After all, getting the right material helps everyone. The item that came across my desk is in regards to Materials for seals and gaskets.

So let’s start with a couple of questions –  
• Do you make seals or gaskets?
• Do you need your seals and gaskets to be Teflon®?
• Do you have a high temperature application?
• Do you need FDA compliant seal and gasket material?

The most common choices for seals and gaskets are UHMW – PE, Teflon, and PEEK. These are all great options, but another material called Fluorosint® has, until now been a little less known for seals and gaskets however, it is proving to give material specifiers another excellent option for certain higher temperature applications. Two Fluorosint® materials are FDA compliant giving you options for special applications in food or medical applications.

In selecting material for gaskets and seals temperature and pressure are the two biggest factors people generally consider. This chart easily shows where TIVAR® UHMW-PE, Teflon®, Ketron® PEEK, filled and unfilled PTFE, and Fluorosint® and Duratron® fit in as material options. Test results clearly show that Fluorosint® and Duratron® fit very well into a gap left for high temperature and high pressure applications. To make your selection even more exact, Quadrant (manufacturer of Fluorosint®) has developed several Fluorosint® materials (207, HPV, 500) and each was specifically developed with a certain application area in mind.

Below is a Material Selector Guide that covers all of these materials in two easy formats. One simply compares how a product does in relation to heat and pressure. The other compares Fluorosint® to Rulon®, another common material for seals and gaskets. You can also compare the FDA compliant materials.

Material Selector Guide for PTFE Seal and Gasket Material

From materials suitable for average heat and pressure to the highest, this chart will help you to easily cross reference common seal and gasket materials.

 

Chart comparing Rulon to Flurosint

Compare test results of Fluorosint and Rulon and see at a glance what material fits your application.

As we go forward I’ll be looking at each of these products on an individual basis. But, if you see something here you like and you want to know all the details right now, we do have more information available on our website: Fluorosint Product Information. You can also talk to one of people. We have a knowledgeable staff that can help with any questions you may have about seal and gasket materials. Just call 877.246.7700 and you will be connected with the AIN Plastics office nearest you.

If you are along for the journey that’s great!  If seals and gaskets aren’t your thing, no worries, I’ll be talking about all sorts of other materials as we go. In fact, you can sign up and get our posts in your mailbox so you don’t miss the latest.

I hope you find these charts helpful in your search for that just right seal or gasket material. We’ll see you in the blogosphere again very soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

Why Should our Business buy Material Through Distributors?

Aren’t I better off Cutting the Middle man out and Going Direct?
In our pop-culture world today we are barraged with phrases like “buy factory direct” or “manufacturer direct cost savings to you”.  Are these cost saving statements even true, or just snazzy marketing terms meant to get ones attention?  Furthermore, is it relevant to your business decisions?  I think its worth a laugh to imagine people traveling miles to stand in line for a gallon of milk outside of a dairy farm.  We don’t really think about distributors on a day to day basis, but companies like Costco and Wal-mart helped make the term “just in time” (JIT) part of our common vocabulary and those organizations, by definition, are distributors. They build relationships with the dairy farmer, the bread baker, the shoe maker. They then buy in bulk and move product you need to places where it’s easy to buy them all in one place. (The one-stop shop.)

Let’s Apply Distribution to the Industrial Market
Let me illustrate these same principles of the use of distribution into the industrial marketplace.  As an example lets consider a sector of the healthcare market. Medical

Medical Plastic Rod Colors

grade plastic shapes are used in the manufacture of surgical instruments and devices, healthcare equipment and the like.  The raw material for medical grade plastics come in a variety of colors, sometimes its for ease of identification purposes between various sizes, sometimes colors may be valued for the aesthetics of an individual brand.  The real problem could begin when a desired color isn’t a common/standard color.  For example we can get a ‘flamingo pink’ produced but it will likely require both a lengthy lead time for the resin and a minimum quantity to extrude the shape.  The volume needed for such customization is usually out of most individual customers reach especially while their end product is still in the proto-type stage.  Now imagine this special color, along with other common ones, used by a large volume OEM and they perceive their best price is to buy direct from the mill.  Let’s also keep in mind the price of material may not really be the same as the cost.  So why might this company consider buying via a distributor instead of direct?

The ‘What-Ifs’ of What Could and Sometimes Does go Wrong

  • There is a resin shortage in the market – it happens! Aside from the pain of the long lead time there’s now no room for error; in quality or inspection, quantity changes to accommodate an increase in demand.
  • Outside forces affecting production or shipping and delivery – power outages, hurricanes or blizzards, fire or flood, etc.
  • The mill accepted the order for the flamingo pink previously, but then there’s a capacity or another manufacturing issue.  Now it’s a triage situation.  Consider what then may happen with the common colors that this same customer needs or for that matter the whole industry is wanting to purchase.

The Benefits of Buying Through a Distributor

  • Manufacturers produce material and they are experts at it!
  • Our manufacturing partners are, and should be, the innovators of new and better plastic materials to the market.
  • Most often manufacturers are single location facilities and many have a limited

    Customers can benefit from the large steady inventory distributors keep. It can mean low minimum orders and shorter lead time to receive your order.

    logistical reach.

  • Tying up space in their facility in order to stock huge amounts of material for customers limits areas they could use to expand operations.
  • The same great application and technical resources are still available to customers through an approved distributor. In fact, sales staff at distributors can also be a great resource for technical advice as they have relationships with multiple customers using the same product.
What Exactly Does a Distributor Do?
  • A distributor ‘supplies’ material so managing and inventing inventory solutions and moving product to customers is what we do – its who we are.
    • Multiple Locations Close to you. ThyssenKrupp AIN Plastics Division has multiple facilities and more people in a local area that can assist customers, and still helps them in meeting vendor reduction goals.

      Distributors often have many locations stocked with product while manufacturers often have a single location. Multiple locations can mean shorter lead time, and product you need in stock.

    • Large Inventory all the Time. We already buy in bulk from all the world’s best manufactures of plastics shapes thus providing the same quality of material.
    • Enjoy the Benefits of low Minimums and JIT. Combining volumes of special material may alleviate large minimums to any one customer.  Keeping material in our warehouse and not the customer’s allows for product to be received only when its needed.  This not only frees up space but inventory dollars that could be used for other business purposes.
    • Less Lead Time, Fewer Headaches. A good stocking distributors who focuses on your particular industry helps ensure a smooth flow of product thus becoming a buffer between the end-user and the bumps in the market such as issues of lead-time, volatile pricing etc.

It Is Called a ‘Supply Chain’ –Let us Be Your Strongest Link!

Lin Poulin
Telemarketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

Citations

IAPD (international association of plastics distribution) “The Distribution Channel Value”, content provided from NAW (National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors) http://www.iapd.org/distribution value

Know This, marketing tutorial  “Benefits Offered by Channel Members” http://www.knowthis.com/distribution

TexasA&MUniversity, Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution program, http://etidweb.tamu.edu