Company “Rolls Out” New Products from Old Tires.
RubberForm Recycled Products of Lockport, NY has begun production of its recycled rubber products from its new headquarters and manufacturing facility at 75 Michigan Street.
According to RubberForm president Bill Robbins, the first products to be molded from recycled “crumb rubber” are sign bases, which are utilized primarily for road signs, as well as parking signs.
Robbins says the first customer for his new manufacturing facility was the Lancaster Central School District, which has already taken delivery on one of the company’s initial units.
The 100% recycled rubber used by RubberForm is, says Robbins, a durable, functional and long-lasting alternative to what’s currently in use. Prior to RubberForm’s introduction of this new patent pending design, most sign bases consisted of metal, plastic, and/or concrete, usually “concocted” on site.
Other products to be manufactured at the Lockport facility include speed bumps, rubber curbing and wheel stops. In addition, RubberForm has an agreement to produce recycled rubber blocks for rubber sidewalks.
The new company anticipates employing ten people and producing 1.5 million pounds of recycled rubber items the first year. Robbins says he hopes to triple the work force and production after three years.
Along with providing jobs, RubberForm, as a leader in so-called “green” manufacturing, holds the promise of keeping millions of scrap tires out of US landfills. Many of those tires will come from another Lockport company, High Treat International, which is located nearby on Ohio Street.
RubberForm’s plant manager, George McNamara, says “with 290 million tires in the United States, there’s no worry of running out of raw material”. It’s estimated that a single passenger car tire produces about 17 pounds of crumb rubber.
Using seven presses, which the company has recycled from other manufacturers, the Lockport firm combines that raw material with heat and pressure to mold its new line of recycled rubber products.