February 1, 2023

Tire Fill History

An Interview with Early Flatproofing Pioneer, Roger Cude

TAGS: Flatproofing, eliminate flat tires, #foamfill

Carlisle TyrFil recently sat down with Mr. Roger Cude, one of the founding principals of the TyrFil™ brand and an initial innovator in tire flatproofing technology, for a Q&A session to hear about the origins of the industry.

How did you start off in the tire fill industry?

My roots working in the tire fill, commonly referred to as foam fill, technology space go way back—six plus decades—to the very earliest days of the related industry field. I first met Ransome Wyman (a legendary figure in our industry, who went on to be one of the early distributors of tire fill) in 1959—he was a student instructor in my freshman college chemistry class. Ransome eventually went on to become the Lab Director for Chem Seal Corporation. When I went into engineering upon graduation, Wyman offered me a job. That company was involved in early polymer materials development.

I went on to join Pro-Seal Systems, which eventually became Teledyne, working in epoxy resins, as a chemist. I eventually followed Ransome into a new company that he had founded called Indpol (short for Industrial Polymers), which was a forerunner to what would eventually become one of the first developers of polyurethane foam fill technology. The solution was actually borne—almost accidentally, through troubleshooting other ad hoc fill technology solutions—out of the monothane (a single component heat cured urethane) rubber molding materials industry. Through a manual process that pumped polymer fill into a wheelbarrow tire, the earliest iteration of the flatproofing tire fill concept was created. Similar experiments were conducted on larger forklift tires, using a monothane compound to act as a “fill” constitution for tires on molten “slag” (disposed of junkyard refuse) removal vehicles. These foundational solutions formed the first tire flatproofing technologies.

Where did early tire fill technology go from there?

Ransome eventually moved on from Indpol. At that point, I had developed the technology to the point where it could potentially be sold for broader applications, but I moved on to another division of the company, called Grove Specialities, and went on to work in another capacity. Indpol continued to produce monothane and monopole solutions, but the tire flatproofing work, at that juncture, had basically halted. But I fortunately had carefully preserved the chemical formulations for the early work we’d been doing with monothane tire flatproofing.

A gentleman named Ed Gomberg was eventually brought in to run and revitalize an ailing Indpol. He saw that the organization was in trouble and was savvy enough to preserve the early flatproofing formulations that he stumbled upon—ultimately finding a way to build an alternate business model around the promising technology. Gomberg founded SynAir Corporation in Fontaine, CA for the specific purpose of developing and marketing tire flatproofing technology. Without Gomberg’s role in spotting real value in the technology, there would be no tire flatproofing industry as we know it today. And while Indpol eventually went belly up, this new entity was poised to grow the technology with a bright future.

How did the creation of Arnco Corporation fit in?

After the creation of the SynAir Corporation, Ransome Wyman saw the opportunities for flatproofing that were unfolding and wanted to get back into the market and get a piece of the foam fill distribution space. He and I teamed up at that point and formed the Arnco Corporation, basically which became an early competitor to SynAir. Arnco was founded in 1971 on my personal savings with a mere $1,800 down! While it was deeply undercapitalized, we believed in the technology and knew there was a vibrant marketplace for reliable tire flatproofing solutions. Our formulations were deeply rooted in fundamental chemistry. In fact, our Arnco company name was based directly on chemical symbolism—if you’re talking about a benzine ring in chemistry, the letters “AR” stands for aromatic. If you attach nitrogen, carbon and oxygen, you have polyurethane diisocyanate—the main raw materials we used to make our products.

There was a great deal of in-market competition in those early days—how did that impact that growth of flatproofing?

There was indeed a great deal of intra-industry competition. And sometimes, that competition is the very ingredient that can spur on innovation. SynAir started selling their flatproofing technology in 1971, and, at Arnco, we started selling ours in 1973. Initially, Arnco wasn’t producing tire fill technology—we were developing a fill for rubber industrial rollers, and it was only later that we adapted the solution fully for tire flatproofing purposes.

Back at that time, SynAir had generated an exclusive agreement with tire manufacturer BF Goodrich. I pulled the patents on their flatproofing solution—and it was based on the same solutions I had created and archived so many years prior. The time for this technology had cleary come. And at that time, Arnco began accruing relationships with tire manufacturers—not offering exclusive distribution deals but opening up the technology to a wide field of buyers. While SynAir technically held the patent, it only covered the process of filling the tire, not the formulation itself. While a series of legal conflagrations continued in court, Arnco marketed our version of the technology called PermaTire. We eventually added water into our urethane foam (water is the element that generates the “foam” in tire fill technology). This solution was essentially cheaper and more cost-effective than what was in SynAir’s technology, which we subsequently established under a separate patent. (In fact, this became the basis for what was known later as RePneu, now TyrFil Ultra)

What was the next phase of tire fill development?

Arnco and SynAir eventually put the legal disputes behind us. In 1989, Ransome Wyman departed the company, and I partnered up with a new team addition Larry Carapellotti, with whom I continued to grow the Arnco brand and offering. We were a small company of approximately 50 employees—and we all wore many hats.

Initially, in the early days, we were selling the tire fill compound by the pound, when it should have been sold by the gallon. It actually cost customers less to buy our compound, but the specific gravity of the material matters—and selling by volume rather than weight was more cost-efficient. Regardless, in the late 80’s, by the time the RePneu product had been patented, it represented a valuable compound. And, of course, the general tire fill formulation then became known as the branded TyrFil™ solution, which is widely sold today.

How did your tenure within the field culminate, and what became of TyrFil?

Having started Arnco in 1971, I decided to leave the industry in 2001 and sold the company to Larry Carapellotti. The company eventually merged with Pathway Polymers after being sold to umbrella chemical brand, Accella Performance Materials. That company, in 2017, was acquired by Carlisle Companies, which continues to market the industry-leading “foam fill” technology under the gold standard TyrFil brand. The flatproofing solutions that we pioneered in those early decades went on to represent a powerhouse technology that has been used and adopted globally by numerous vertical industries.

What do you personally see as your legacy in the industry, as it relates to the future of the market?

I’m proud of my work with the original formulations, and also later in assessing the dynamics of tire fill volume. I produced an adaptation of tire and rim standards and developed the original comprehensive weight charts that are still in use today. I also created a Weight Estimator that provides the mathematics that guides tire volume evaluations—assessing the interior of a tire on first an ellipsoidal, and then cylinder shape-based, formula that figures tire fill volume based on rim and tire dimensions. These guidelines continue as viable tools for the tire fill and flatproofing space.

The global tire fill market overall continues to flourish. Ever since Larry and I focused exclusively on flatproofing, the market has just grown exponentially and I’m very proud to be a part of the start of a phenomenal industry.

Mr. Cude is currently retired and resides in California.

carlisletyrfil.com/news/an-interview-with-early-flatproofing-pioneer-roder-cude/

February 1, 2023

CertiPUR-US Announces Online Directory

CertiPUR-US Announces New, Improved Online Directory of Participating Companies

The new directory is a resource for thousands of consumers each week, but participating companies must submit updated information to be included

(Rochester Hills, Mich.) — The CertiPUR-US® foam certification program has launched a new online
directory that lets consumers quickly and efficiently search for companies and brands offering CertiPUR-
US certified foams as well as products containing CertiPUR-US certified foam.

The much-improved directory is searchable by company name, company type, brands, product category
and location. The advanced search function allows search by multiple criteria.

Thousands of consumers view the CertiPUR-US directory each week, and many of them make
purchasing decisions based on whether a company or brand is listed as using certified foam in their
products.

“No company is rolled over,” explained Michael Crowell, executive director of the CertiPUR-US program.
“Even registered companies that were previously on our website are not included in the new directory
unless they have submitted a directory listing update.”

Crowell said listings will continue to be free, but a new program requirement calls for each company to
update their directory listing information annually in order to continue to have permission to use the
CertiPUR-US trademarked name and logo.

“Companies are encouraged to list their business and every brand, collection or line that a consumer
would search for — because consumers do,” explained Crowell.

To determine whether your company is listed and categorized correctly, participating companies should
check the directory and promptly notify directory@certipur.us if anything needs to be added or
corrected.

The new directory also includes listings of the more than 90 participating foam producers currently
certifying flexible polyurethane foam. Foam producer listings include country of origin and a link to an
individual page on the CertiPUR-US website with the foam producer’s contact information, foam
families certified, laboratory identification numbers and each foam family’s renewal date.

The CertiPUR-US program, administered by a nonprofit organization, is a certification for flexible
polyurethane foam used in bedding and upholstered furniture. Certified foams meet rigorous standards
for content, emissions and durability, and are analyzed by independent, accredited testing laboratories.
More information including complete technical criteria is available at www.certipur.us.

February 1, 2023

Propylene Jumps 11c/lb in January

Chemical grade propylene moved up to $0.415/lb . . .

January 31, 2023

Felter Joins Everchem Specialty Chemicals

Everchem Specialty Chemicals announced today that Del Felter has joined the company as Vice President of Market and Business Development.

Del has over 35 years’ experience in the polyurethane manufacturing industry and over 20 years of experience in executive management. Del has spent the majority of his career with Carpenter Co., holding positions ranging from plant management to development of their consumer products business to running the strategic chemical businesses. 

Additionally, Del has been a Senior Vice President with INOAC USA responsible for facilitating profitable growth for the company within North America and globally by managing the Industrial, Consumer and Medical business units.

Del recently held positions at FXI, Inc as the Senior Vice President of the newly created Product Management Group and previously as Senior Vice President – Corporate Development & Strategy, Del was involved by leading the integration planning teams through the acquisition of INNOCOR.

Media, PA, February 01, 2023

January 31, 2023

Daubert Management Changes

Daubert Chemical promotes Mike Duncan to President, CEO

By Larry Adams

January 30, 2023 | 6:26 pm CST

CHICAGO — Daubert Chemical Company Inc. recently announced a series of key promotions and new hires within the company, including the role of president and CEO. Dr. Mike Duncan, previously executive vice president of technology at Daubert, will succeed Matt Puz as president and CEO. 

“Matt Puz has played an indispensable role in Daubert’s success throughout his tenure over the past seven years,” said Matthew McGinnis, vice president of commercial development. “Under his leadership, we’ve grown our automotive coatings business through the launch of Nox-Rust 1290HP and other products, and launched a new, innovative coating, Nox-Rust ChipShield, designed to provide enhanced durability versus road debris as well as corrosive conditions. On behalf of the rest of the leadership team here at Daubert Chemical, we are delighted to congratulate Matt Puz on his upcoming retirement, as well as to celebrate Mike’s promotion into the role of president and CEO. The insight and expertise Mike brings to the table will continue to usher in a new era of innovation at Daubert.”

Duncan brings more than 30 years of industry experience to the role – and 10 of those years have been spent with Daubert as the vice president of technology. Duncan began his career at Keil Chemical, and has held leadership roles at companies such as D-A Stuart Company, Castrol, and Fuchs Lubricants. Duncan holds a doctorate in Organic Chemistry from the University of Illinois Chicago. An active supporter of industry organizations, Duncan held the role of president of STLE in 2019-2020. 

Duncan’s promotion to president and CEO leads a series of personnel moves for Daubert Chemical Company that also includes:

• Dr. Aaron Sanders was hired for the role of vice president of technology. Sanders brings over 20 years of experience to Daubert, and most recently held the title of R&D director – Oilfield Solutions at Stepan Company. Sanders holds a doctorate in Organic Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
• Mark Pawelski, is retiring from his role as executive vice president of operations. Pawelski devoted 44 years of service to Daubert, and will continue to consult for special projects.
• Greg Merchen, formerly the vice president of manufacturing, succeeded Mark Pawelski as vice president of operations. Merchen will cover all of Daubert’s manufacturing areas as well as customer service and engineering. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. 

“It’s an exciting time for Daubert,” said Puz. “As we welcome new leaders into the fold and continue our tradition of meeting customer needs with high-quality products and service, the next generation of Daubert solutions is sure to exceed expectations.”

https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/daubert-chemical-promotes-mike-duncan-president-ceo