Scougal to adjust to growth

By Mike McNulty, ERJ staff (R&PN)

Seattle, Washington State -- Scougal Rubber Corp. plans to move the majority of its operation to northern Nevada from Seattle to handle recent growth and upgrade the manufacturing end of its business.

Its Seattle site will remain open for the time being to handle production of custom moulded rubber goods, according to Rob Anderson, vice president and sales manager.

The maker of rubber and steel-reinforced bearing pads and other rubber products will move from its present 35,000-sq.-ft. facility to a 100,000-sq.-ft. plant located near Reno. The site currently is partially occupied by Dynamic Isolation Systems, a sister operation that makes large rubber pads for seismic construction and retrofitting of bridges and buildings.

Scougal will take over the remaining 50,000 square feet of the facility, which is owned by the owner of the two businesses, Anderson said. Cost of the project wasn't disclosed.

“We outgrew the old building,” he said. “We couldn't produce as many products as we sold, and the old plant was expanded so many times it became a hodge-podge without great flow. So we decided to move and the plant in Nevada is ideal for our needs.”

About 25 members of the company's work force of 100 will relocate to Nevada while another 20 or so will remain at the 35,000-sq.-ft. Seattle factory to handle custom moulded manufacturing needs. The remainder likely will be laid off.

The firm will hire an estimated 50 to 60 employees at its new home, Anderson said.

The move, which began in late November, is being handled in stages. The difficult part is transporting large machinery Scougal needs to manufacture its unique rubber pads, he said. About a dozen machines, all of which are being refurbished, are involved. “Our presses are big and are difficult to move,” he said.

The company also is investing in an unspecified number of new rubber processing machinery and other equipment. Scougal, which was formed in 1916 in Seattle, expects to complete the move sometime in February but it hopes to begin making products at the Nevada factory in early January.

It plans to be fully operational at the new facility by the middle of the first quarter.

While primarily known for its rubber and steel-reinforced bearing pads used to support steel girders during bridge construction, Scougal makes a variety of other products for a base made up of more than a thousand customers in North America and other countries.

The pads, introduced in the 1950s, are used heavily on steel and concrete bridge structures and are usually made of rubber, including neoprene. Generally they are custom produced.

The company also makes numerous industrial products, which can be found in a variety of applications, from playground equipment to ski lifts to police car bumpers to food processing facilities.

Other offerings include pressure test kits for cabins in commercial aircraft and custom floor mats for military vehicles. It moulds virtually any elastomer and can form and bond rubber to nearly any metal surface, the company said.

In addition, Scougal has deep roots in the rubber roller industry, producing new and refurbished rolls for a number of different industries.

From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)