Custom rubber compounder Preferred Compounding is bringing online a 75-litre tilt mixer dedicated to specialty elastomers in its production facility in Mexico to meet the demands for FKM, HNBR, ECO and other high performance elastomer (HPE) compounds.
The first of its kind in Mexico, the new Kneader Machinery KD75-250 tangential tilt mixer will be installed in the 57,000 sqft building the company leased starting January 1, which is adjacent to its main facility in San Luis Potosi. The mixer will also be used for color compounds.
“We have demand for compounds for high heat and harsh chemical environments,” said Scott Lieberman, president of Preferred Compounding de Mexico and executive vice president of Preferred Compounding Corporation. “The new system enables us to mix HPE and color compounds at appropriate batch sizes.”
Preferred Compounding de Mexico is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ohio-based Preferred Compounding, the second largest custom compounder in North America.Current compounding capabilities at the San Luis Potosi facility include two F-270 Farrel Banbury N Series tangential black mixers, gear-pump straining and a quality control laboratory.
“We can now produce in Mexico compounds from all rubber polymer types,” Lieberman said. “This addition adds to our position as the high-value-added and full-service provider to our customers.”
The San Luis Potosi facility currently mixes NR, EPDM, NBR, SBR, CR, AEM and ACM on the F270s. The new specialty elastomer mixer will require adding 15 to 25 employees in the next six to nine months, Lieberman said, which will bring employment at the site to nearly 150. The tilt mixer is third expansion in mixing capabilities at the location since Preferred bought it in 2012.
Lieberman said the specialty elastomer operation in Mexico is benefiting from the deep HPE compounding expertise that came with its parent company’s acquisition in December of high performance elastomer compounding specialist Trostel Compounding, now Preferred Compounding Whitewater. Preferred Compounding’s operation in Tallapoosa, Georgia, also has a tilt mixer for specialty and color elastomers and staff there is consulting on the effort as well.
Preferred Compounding de Mexico provides custom compounds and services primarily to the Mexican operations of US, Asian and European parts manufacturers. Value-added services include flexible supply and materials agreements, compound development, improvement and testing resources and the company’s MixLoc Quality Program, which includes 24/7 online access to quality data and more.