Better, Not Just Bigger

Careful attention to process is the key to growth for this new Tier Two rubber products molder.

Building your annual business from $2.5 million this year, to $10 million within the next four years, is healthy growth for a rookie Tier Two supplier that sees itself as a "new kid on the block." And that target is just fine for MRD Industries Inc., a northern Ohio company that specializes in molded rubber products.

"We don't want to get any bigger than that," says Vice President of Sales Marketing Russ Marshall, who counts Ernest Industries and Miniature Precision Components as MRD's major customers.

MRD operates from a 7,000-square-foot manufacturing plant located in North Jackson, Ohio, one mile south of General Motors' giant Lordstown assembly plant that builds the Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac -- the end recipients of MRD's products. They include plug buttons and seals, absorbers, bumpers, robber elbows, wire harness conduits and gearshift lever boots.

MRD's competitive advantage is its ability to mold rubber at high speeds and fast cycle times, claims company President Merardo "Ed" Edejer.

"We can complete injection molding for rubber in one to two minutes, because of controlled higher temperatures, both in the mold and the injection phases," says Edejer, a chemical engineer. He and Marshall, whose background is in automotive purchasing, started the company in 1997.

MRD cures its rubber at 400-degrees Fahrenheit, explains Edejer. However, despite using a relatively high temperature, the company avoids scorching by using dependable rubber blending companies with good rubber material control.

MRD also molds thermoplastic rubber, which acts like a rubber but molds like a plastic. It is molded in 15- to 20-second cycle times. Depending on the product requirements, the thermoplastic rubber can be custom blended and produced in large quantities.

Marshall says MRD is preparing to test its thermoplastic rubber for under-hood applications. The company's higher-cost thermoplastic rubber has already been tested.

MRD's thermoplastic rubber is molded on a plastic machine, giving the plant plastic molding capabilities, which Edejer plans to use within six months to a year, depending on demand.

Edejer says he plans to expand MRD's plant to 15,000 square feet in the next year. It starts the registration process for QS-9000 certification this month, and expects to be registered by mid-2000, he adds.

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