North Carolina's Reichhold Profiled In REINFORCED PLASTICS Magazine

Research Triangle Park, NC - Reichhold, Inc., a supplier of unsaturated polyester resins for composites and a global supplier of resins for the coatings and graphic arts markets, is profiled in the December issue of REINFORCED PLASTICS magazine, a UK-based trade publication covering the global composites industry.

The profile, written by REINFORCED PLASTICS Editor Amanda Jacob, is entitled "Getting Back to the Basics." It begins with a brief history of Reichhold and transitions into recent developments, The company's six-member, senior management team purchased Reichhold from Dainippon Ink and Chemicals (DIC) of Tokyo, Japan in 2005.

The central theme of the magazine profile is found in Executive Vice President Global Composites Doug Frey's comments that Reichhold is focusing on the basic business elements of the company and "getting back to the basics." In the interview, Frey explains that Reichhold is focusing on cost, customer service and quality.

Reichhold Chairman, President and CEO John Gaither points out that DIC spent a lot of money on plants, but was often missing the final, finishing touches to make their investments truly successful. "To de-bottleneck brings a huge increment in capacity," Gaither explains, "So, we've really got our plants running a lot more efficiently. We haven't finished that process yet, " he continues. "We came back and just started prioritizing and working our way down the list." In speaking with REINFORCED PLASTICS, Gaither points out that the six owners of the company have 135 years of experience between them, "And we really do care about the company," he says.

Gaither emphasizes that Reichhold is focusing on creating value for customers, "Producing quality products in spec, on time at competitive costs, and then getting the value for the products that they deserve. We're well into the positive numbers, not where we want to be, but certainly moving in the right direction," he continues, "And now we're starting to focus a lot more on growth."

In the profile story, Frey explains that Reichhold is well balanced geographically. "About half of our business is outside the US, and we've got a big position in Latin America," he says. "What's not part of our portfolio right now is Asia. After the management buyout, we're free to go in that direction."

Later in the story, Frey explains that the future of the composites business is replacement of traditional materials such as wood, concrete, steel and aluminum. "A big part of our participation in the ACMA (American Composites Manufacturers Association) is working with the rest of the industry to find ways to grow our markets, not just through economic growth," he says, "But also by displacing other materials." Frey goes on to say that Reichhold is focusing on building a single, global team in composites. "We've got a great research center in Norway, and equally good facility in our RTP headquarters, a big center in Brazil and a smaller one in Mexico," he points out. "We're trying to start managing projects on a global basis, making sure that if we develop a product in Brazil, for example, that we don't reinvent it in Europe," Frey continues, "and that it's done in a way that fits one standard, global process. It gives us an opportunity to put more ideas in the hat and pick only the best."

Following up Frey's comments in the story, Gaither says Reichhold is focusing on rolling out new product developments globally, and doing so more quickly than in the past. "In the past, if you had a big success in the United States, it took five years for implementation in Europe," he says. "I think it's important that all of our global technology centers communicate very regularly and prioritize projects on a global basis, and that we move this technology around the world more quickly."

SOURCE: REINFORCED PLASTICS