PRESCO & CONGOLEUM FLOORING: GOING STRONG FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS
Presco has been a leading manufacturer of films and outdoor marking products for 75 years, with an origins story that dates back to 1942. And over the last three-quarters of a century, we’ve seen many ups and downs. As the economy has cycled through booms and busts, so too has our business experienced both bountiful and lean times. Disruption to the raw material supply chain, competition from imports, technological changes, and shifts in demand have all exerted negative pressure on our business during various parts of our history. We are fortunate to have strong and trustworthy partners who have stuck with us through good and bad.
Congoleum Flooring, a distinguished developer of innovative flooring products, has been one of our most incredible and reliable partners for over thirty years.
“We were one of Presco’s very first engineered film customers in the 80’s,” explains Mitch Carr of Congoleum Flooring. “Congoleum was looking for a domestically made cap film for our vinyl flooring line and there weren’t many PVC film manufacturers that could produce thin, semi-rigid film. Presco adapted their manufacturing capabilities to meet our needs, which meant a close development process to get the film just right.”
By working in constant collaboration, the team at Presco has been able to help our friends at Congoleum find solutions to challenges when they arise. For example, Congoleum sought to reformulate the vinyl film found in vinyl flooring in order to eliminate phthalates. Phthalates are a group of chemicals used in a wide variety of products, but are falling out of favor due to health and environmental concerns, regulatory scrutiny, and growing consumer awareness regarding the safety of the chemicals. “Eliminating phthalates from our products became a top priority for Congoleum Flooring,” says Mr. Carr. “Luckily, we already had an established relationship with a partner who we could trust to make the desired reformulations.”
At Presco, our expert engineers are able to redesign traditional formulas to remove heavy metals and phthalates. Through a plasticizer change, we were able to create a new formula for vinyl film that would satisfy Congoleum Flooring and their customers. “Our extrusion capabilities were modified early on to fit with Congoleum’s film needs,” explains Beth Guinn of Presco. “We have the ability to adapt and modify PVC formulations for regulatory changes related to consumer products quickly as a result of our experience and size.”
For 100 years, Congoleum Flooring has exhibited styling and design leadership when it comes to residential and commercial flooring. We at Presco are grateful to play a part in our partner’s continued success. “The relationship between Congoleum and Presco only grows stronger with each passing day,” says Mr. Carr. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with Presco for another thirty years, and beyond.”
To discover more partner success stories, visit http://www.presco.com/testimonials/
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