Dri-Air
Published

20 Years Of Growth, But Color Still Comes First

LTL Color Compounders Inc., Morrisville, Pa.

If they were having delivery, quality and consistency issues with the color compound they had purchased, most processors would probably try sourcing material from another compounder.

Share

If they were having delivery, quality and consistency issues with the color compound they had purchased, most processors would
probably try sourcing material from another compounder. Instead, Anthony Kasmer saw an opportunity to start his own color compounding business and brought some young talent along with him.

That’s the basic story of LTL Color Compounders Inc. in Morrisville, Pa. (ltlcolor.com), which this summer celebrated its 20th year in business. This $26-million company, with a 70,000-ft² plant in the U.S. and other in Dongguan, China, has niched itself as a specialist in filling small orders (generally 2000 lb and under) in engineering polymers like PC, ABS, nylon, acrylic, and PC/ABS alloys.

Getting the color right every time is the Holy Grail for many plastics processors. Twenty years ago, color matching relied far more on art than science. Back then, Kasmer was running Tri-Lite Plastics (now part of Atlanta-based Pexco), making profile extrusions for the lighting industry. “We almost went bankrupt because not one of our suppliers really knew color,” says Kasmer, who now serves as LTL’s chairman of the board.

Two decades later, precise color formulation remains “the key to our success,” states Jim Figaniak, president of the company, a chemical engineer who was an intern at Rohm & Haas before joining Kasmer and Kasmer’s son Chris, another chemical engineer, when LTL was launched. The firm’s lab has the full scope of color measuring instruments, as well as other analytical devices.

Today, LTL’s services include custom and toll compounding, color matching, and product development. “We like to think of LTL as a small company with big-company capabilities,” says Figaniak. “We offer a level of service and personal touch typical of small companies, with the technical depth and know-how of larger firms.”

From the outset, LTL believed a key to its success is its ability to take on challenges other compounders eschew. “There have been instances where we have had problems landing accounts,” Kasmer says. “A lot of times, to get our foot in the door, our salespeople tell a would-be client, ‘Give us your craziest job, the one that gives you the most headaches,’” If we get that job and execute it, we’ve laid the foundation for future business with the customer.”

LTL employs about 45 people in the U.S., and another 20 in China. Its key markets include electronics, building/construction, marine, sports and leisure, and medical. LTL processes more than 9 million lb of material/yr on nine twin-screw extruders ranging in size from 32 to 60 mm, plus two single-screws of 2 and 2.5 in. It processes about 6000 orders/yr, and about half are unique in some way.

LTL expects sales to be 30% higher this year. Growth in China is one reason. Development of proprietary products is a more significant factor. Just a year ago, LTL added ISO 13485:2003 certification to its existing ISO 9001:2008 certification, allowing it to be a more significant player in medical—it launched the ColorRx line of medical-grade resins in PP homopolymer and random copolymer, PC, ABS, LDPE, and HDPE.

In 2008 LTL introduced the EcoFast line of recycled resins. It also offers the Surlyn Reflection Series under a licensing agreement with DuPont Co., Wilmington, Del. This is a patented alloy of Surlyn and nylon, aimed at applications requiring high gloss, toughness, and weatherability, including motorcycle shrouds and snowmobile hoods. LTL’s staple product is the ColorFast line, available in a wide range of polymers for high-performance applications.

“Our business has changed since we started, of course,” says Figaniak. “When we started we had capabilities in four polymers; today that number is 24. Our current customer base is much larger than in 1990. We’ve developed products and expertise in new markets. But our vision for the future is to remain dedicated to the overriding principle that formed the basis of the original business plan: to be a first-class custom color compounding operation.”

AM Workshop
Guill - World Leader in Extrusion Tooling
Konica Minolta
Dri-Air
Gardner Business Media, Inc.
Vacuum conveying powders to extruders compounding
Insert molding automation
New Tinius Olsen VectorExtensometer testing
structural foam molding chemical foaming agents
Windmoeller
Konica Minolta CM-36dG
New 2024 Twin Screw Report

Related Content

Injection Molder Changes Up Color Changes

An injection molder of trash cans, pallets, totes and other plus-size components, Rehrig Pacific’s machine fleet is composed of larger tonnage presses whose size makes material changes at the feed throat a potentially dizzying exercise.

Read More
Hot Runners

How to Start a Hot-Runner Mold That Has No Tip Insulators

Here's a method to assist with efficient dark-to-light color changes on hot-runner systems that are hot-tipped.

Read More
color

Novel System Produces Color on Demand

Ampacet’s FluxQF technology features a quick-dispersion universal carrier with novel machinery that provides automated color blending in quantities down to 50 lb.

Read More
SPONSORED

Specialty Purging Compounds Optimize Color and Material Changeovers

Selecting of the correct purging compound can speed up material and color changeover time and reduce scrap. You’ll even save on material.

Read More

Read Next

Extrusion Know How

Understanding Melting in Single-Screw Extruders

You can better visualize the melting process by “flipping” the observation point so that the barrel appears to be turning clockwise around a stationary screw.

Read More
processing tips

People 4.0 – How to Get Buy-In from Your Staff for Industry 4.0 Systems

Implementing a production monitoring system as the foundation of a ‘smart factory’ is about integrating people with new technology as much as it is about integrating machines and computers. Here are tips from a company that has gone through the process.

Read More
sustainability

Lead the Conversation, Change the Conversation

Coverage of single-use plastics can be both misleading and demoralizing. Here are 10 tips for changing the perception of the plastics industry at your company and in your community.

Read More
NPE2024: The Plastics Show