Advanced Polymer Coatings breaks ground on multi-million dollar factory expansion to drive global sales

Advanced Polymer Coatings, the Avon, Ohio-based protective tank coatings manufacturer, is announcing a major expansion of its factory and bold new plans to increase its market share in the chemical tanker, rail, tank container, and industrial markets. 

APC President David Keehan said the company is about 25% complete on an extensive eight-figure renovation of its Avon, Ohio factory, almost doubling its size to 42,000 sq. ft. He said a new state-of-the-art automated manufacturing system will start production later this year, quadrupling manufacturing of their MarineLINE protective cargo tank coating and ChemLINE products for rail and industrial clients. 

“This investment in our factory is the biggest in our company’s 27-year history,” he said. “We are seizing the baton from my late father, Don, inspired by his vision to ”Give up the good to go for the great.” The new factory sends a message that we believe MarineLINE and ChemLINE are the best chemical-resistant coatings in the world, and we aim to meet the growing demand for both. That means putting our money where our mouth is and investing cash drawn from reserves so the company remains debt-free. We aim to use our new facility to catapult our market share in the Marine Cargo Tank, Rail, Tank Container, and other industrial segments year over year.”

David said the investment will protect the current manufacturing and warehouse jobs, supporting growth with plans to recruit positions for R&D, lab, and sales domestically and sales, technical, and customer care globally. 

David said APC is also expanding its R & D facilities with an expanded laboratory and testing facilities, a pilot plant, and a new spray booth for product testing. 

“Our chemists are undertaking terrific research on finding solutions for our customers,” he said. “As a result, we expect to unveil some great new product innovations, currently undergoing land and sea trials, which can really disrupt several industries.” David said that to support the expansion, the company has partnered with fellow Ohio company UWL, the global freight forwarding and distribution house. 

“The new partnership with UWL gives our customers greater efficiency and visibility of product delivery times so they can plan their operations better. Customers can now, for example, track a shipment so they know exactly what ship is carrying their MarineLINE consignment and when it will arrive. 

We believe UWL, with its network of people, is the best partner to get shipments of MarineLINE into countries at speed.”

David said exports presently account for 75 percent of sales and will remain a pivotal component of APC’s growth strategy.

“We want to expand more into various markets globally,” he said. “We have a strong presence in China but see a lot of growth potential for MarineLINE and ChemLINE in many other parts of the world. For instance, Japanese owners and yards have preferred stainless steel tanks, but we believe MarineLINE’s powerful advantages will attract more business. Moreover, being a family-run second-generation business gives us an edge as we pride ourselves on knowing our customers personally and giving them the best customer experience possible. We want them to feel like our business partner instead of just a customer.”

“We further see a lot of potential to grow in the US for both products and are working with several domestic companies in the Marine, Rail, Tank Container, Food & Beverage, and Industrial markets.”

Source: Advanced Polymer Coatings