H.M. ROYAL, INC. APPOINTS JEFF DVORAK AS VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015 – BUENA PARK, CA– H.M. Royal Inc. today announced the appointment of Jeff Dvorak as Vice President and General Manager of HM Royal of California, Incorporated.

Mr. Dvorak comes to H.M. Royal from Wacker Chemical Corporation in Adrian, Michigan, where he was the Sales Director covering North and Central America. Dvorak helmed the sales and marketing of silicone based fluid materials into North and Central America. Prior to his Sales Director role, Dvorak was Wacker Chemical’s Marketing Manager, overseeing the marketing of silicone based materials into the industrial coatings, textile, and plastics market segments.

"With over 30 years of experience in domestic and international Sales and Marketing serving the Polymer, Plastics, Fiber, Coatings, and Architectural/Buildings Products markets, Jeff is a natural fit for this role, and we’re excited to have him join the leadership team," said Joseph Royal, President of H.M. Royal.

"H.M. Royal is a company focused on innovation and providing customer oriented solutions making my new role particularly rewarding -- and one that I look forward to," said Dvorak.

Dvorak has an MBA in Marketing from Georgia State University and a BS in Chemistry from John Carroll University.

H.M. Royal 90th Anniversary

H.M. Royal was recently recognized as a finalist in the 23rd Annual NJ Family Business of the Year Awards hosted by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This recognition comes as the result of H.M. Royal’s longevity in successfully creating a positive work atmosphere for our employees and exemplary service to our customers. This recognition was especially timely as it comes in the year of our company’s 90th anniversary. We’ve spent a lot of time recently looking back at what we’ve accomplished over that time and what sets us apart from our competitors.

Great businesses are proven through tough times

Staying in business for 90 years, a company sees a lot. Changing technology and fluctuations in the economy mean only those companies that are able to adapt can survive. We’re proud that throughout our 90 years we have always planned strategically for the long-term-- not being swayed by short-term industry or economic challenges. Instead, every decision we make is with our long-term objectives and the long-term needs of our customers in mind.

A prime example of this is during the economic recession beginning in 2008. It was common for other companies to make knee-jerk decisions at that time and try to cut costs as quickly as possible. We understood, though, that our employees were the ones who had brought us through 80 years of successful business to that point, and they were the ones to help pull us through. Though it was a tough time for everybody, we are proud that we were able to weather the storm and that in such an uncertain time around the world, not a single employee was laid-off or left the company-- highlighting just how tightly-knit a family we are.

From our beginnings in 1925, we have expanded to the 48 contiguous United States in addition to 12 foreign countries, including Canada and Mexico. Throughout the 90 years H.M. Royal has been in existence, the values and ethics of the Royal family have informed how we do business: from how we treat our own employees to the respect and attention we give our customers. We are proud of this foundation and believe it’s what truly sets us apart as a company.

The company today

Since the global market began its recovery in 2010, our company has got right back on track. In fact, we experienced the highest growth in our company’s history between 2010-14. Our dedicated employees and salespeople continue to strive to deliver innovative and cost-effective compounding materials along with the expert advice that results in a satisfied customers.

We’re continuing to plan and position our company for the future. Less than 15% of family owned businesses survive into their third generation, and we’re proud to be one of them-- planning ahead is a big reason we’re still here. We’re looking to hire a new generation of H.M. Royal employees to educate and mold into polymer compounding experts ready to assist our customers with their specialty chemical and raw material needs. To do this we have developed our own training program to nurture the future leaders of H.M. Royal. We’re confident this effort will put our company in an excellent position to provide superior service to future customers but also have a positive impact on the market as a whole.

H.M. Royal has now been a trusted provider of speciality chemicals and raw materials to compounders for 90 years. We fully intend to be around for another 90 years-- meeting the needs of the global manufacturing community while maintaining the family-business structure and atmosphere we’re so proud of.

Nominee For New Jersey's Top Family Business 2015

This year is quite an exciting one here at H.M. Royal Incorporated. Not only are we celebrating our 90^th Anniversary and 3^rd Generation of service, but we are also being recognized as one of New Jersey’s top Family Businesses by The Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurship of Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey Monthly, and The PNC Financial Services Group Incorporated. Selected from a large pool of nominations, H.M. Royal Incorporated has been chosen to be recognized as a finalist in the running for this prestigious award. Winners will be announced at a luncheon on October 14^th at the Crystal Plaza in Livingston, NJ.

For 23 Years, The Rothman Institute has been awarding exemplary family owned businesses with this award based on company growth, ethics, family involvement, and philanthropic service. H.M. Royal has not only met, but exceeded these standards in order to be selected as a finalist, and we couldn’t be more honored. As our company continues to grow, so does our family, which includes all of our employees and customers. We hold a strong belief in making and maintaining personal relationships with every member of the H.M. Royal ‘family’, and have managed to uphold this practice well into the age of electronic and anonymous communication. Not only is H.M. Royal a great company to work with, but also to work for. In fact many of our employees stay with H.M. Royal for many years.

“I have been working with HM Royal inc.  for 18 years. HM Royal is a family business, and not just for the Royals.  Every employee is treated like family.  Every customer is treated as family.  This company is a Customer Service based company. They still believe, as every company should, that our customers are our livelihood and, therefore, treat them with the appropriate respect. . . The bottom line is that 18 years ago I made one of the best decisions of my life.” -   Jill Sirawsky, Trenton Purchasing Manager

H.M. Royal is traditional in style, but innovative in operation. When there is a problem to be solved, we make sure to think outside the box to work out a solution that is equally best for our customers, our suppliers, the company, and our employees. When recession hit our country in 2008, we held strong, made the necessary cutbacks, and remained financially strong until the economy began to recover in 2010. In fact, H.M. Royal was able to keep every employee on staff (a huge accomplishment) and keep our employees well informed and motivated for the entirety of these extremely rough times. By keeping our experienced group together, and thanks to our loyal customers,  we quickly bounced back, with 2010 – 2014 being the highest growth years in our history.

 As for service to our community and otherwise, H.M. Royal has not slacked. Our employees always are involved in outreach, from helping shelters in Camden, to raising money on a larger scale to fight cancer with Relay for Life. As a company we also make sure to reach out whenever we can. We are heavily involved with the Mill Hill Child and Family development group serving neglected and abused children right here in Trenton. Facilitated by Joe Royal, we have held coat and food drives, collections for school supplies, and have also adopted entire families around the holidays.

“The most striking memory I have is when we were invited to tour the facility and a little girl held her arms up to me and jumped up for me to hold her. I was a complete stranger and we shared the biggest hug – that felt great!” - Jean Madden, Accounts Receivable

H.M. Royal is also supporting the Crescent Shrine Center for handicapped and underprivileged children, the Trenton Police Athletic League, Homefront Incorporated, and even more.

Our future looks bright here at H.M. Royal Incorporated, for our family and our extended family of employees and customers. We will continue to innovate, problem solve, and cultivate meaningful relationship with everyone we come in contact with. Even if we are not selected as the winner of the New Jersey Family Business award, we are still extremely honored, and will continue to grow and thrive as we have since 1925.

H.M. Royal.” When you need it today, tomorrow isn’t good enough.”

Sponsoring The ACS Rubber Division 5K Run/Walk

Members of H.M. Royal recently attended the American Chemical Society – Rubber Division 187th Technical Meeting in Greenville, South Carolina from April 27th to the 30th. As a part of the conference, H.M. Royal was the proud sponsor of the 5k Run/Walk event which drew a solid crowd of competitors.

Amidst days full of networking and learning about the industry, the 5k served as an opportunity for participants to stretch their legs, work up a sweat, and get in some great exercise with others attending the conference. The run took place bright and early at 7:00 AM with favorable conditions of mild temperatures and a slight overcast, luckily, the rain held off until the end of the event.

Henry Royal, our Director of Sales represented H.M. Royal as a participant in the run, while Joe Hanley and Mark Senskey assisted with registration for participants. Runners and walkers were awarded an H.M. Royal sponsored t-shirt for their participation, and the top male and female finishers received a plaque to commemorate their performance. Overall the event produced a great turnout, and provided conference-goers an opportunity to get a little exercise break and fellowship among all the various informational events at the conference.

Sponsoring the International Elastomer Conference 2015 5K

As we’ve done for many years, H.M. Royal will be sponsoring the 5k Run/Walk at the International Elastomer Conference in Cleveland, Ohio on October 14, 2015. If you did not get to participate in our last 5k, don’t miss out again! The event starts at 6:30 A.M., and participants can meet in the lobby of the Westin Hotel. We will have a professional race management group facilitating the race, so routes will be marked well and official times will be given at the turn, and completion of the race. We will also have prizes for the top Male and Female finishers, and every participant will receive a long-sleeved shirt courtesy of H.M. Royal and other sponsors.

For more information on the 5K and other events, visit the International Elastomer Conference website.

There is no cost to participate in the race, however registration is necessary for the planning of the event.

HM Royal Webinar Recap: Rutgers Novares on Performance Resins for Long Lasting Coatings

In March, HM Royal had the honor of hosting a webinar with Rutgers Novares, the leading raw materials manufacturers in Europe. Rutgers is a German company with 150 years of experience in the materials industry, specializing in the production of raw materials for the aluminum and steel industries. The company works with a variety of other industries, including aluminum, tire, automotive delivery, chemical, construction, and coating. The webinar presenters were Dr. Jun Liu and Benjamin Boenigk of the Application Technology team. Rutgers Novares offers a variety of liquid modifiers, so they presented on a selection of these products.

Manufacturers are under a lot of pressure to create products that not only perform well in the needed applications but also comply with regulations. Dr. Lui and Boenigk focused on finding the delicate balance between regulatory and performance concerns and discussed Rutgers products that succeed in complying with both and can be used as successful alternatives to certain problematic raw materials. The products featured in the webinar were NOVARES® high performance hydrocarbon resin and RUETASOLV® isopropylated naphthalene and biphenyl.

NOVARES®Resin as an Alternative to Nonylphenols

Dr. Lui started off by presenting on NOVARES® as an alternative to nonylphenols. Nonylphenol happens to be toxic to aquatic organisms and was classified as a Substance of High Concern by the ECHA in 2012. Therefore, its use in various products has become limited, and manufacturers have been forced to use other products instead.

One alternative producers could be using is NOVARES® LS 500 from Rutgers. LS 500 is a harmless and effective alternative that performs similarly to nonylphenol. Additionally, LS 500 has less of a side effect on the hardness of epoxy coatings, and it is more stable when bonded into an epoxy polymer matrix, resulting in higher resistance against solvent penetration and swelling. Therefore, it is not only an acceptable replacement for nonylphenol but a higher performing alternative in many cases.

NOVARES® LS 500 and RUETASOLV ® DI Combination as an Alternative to Benzyl Alcohol

After Dr. Lui finished speaking about the NOVARES® alternative to nonylphenol, Benjamin Boenigk took over for the remainder of the presentation. He discussed benzyl alcohol (BZA), which is used in coatings but as an offensive smell and is regulated heavily in Europe. As with nonylphenol, many companies are moving away from using benzyl alcohol and searching for alternatives—one of which could be a combination of LS 500 and RUETASOLV® DI. When blended, these substances have a bulky structure, leading to similar application properties without the disadvantages of BZA. The combination also has a stronger acceleration of epoxy curing than BZA and is better in leaching.

Boenigk’s next discussed using the NOVARES® LA Series resins as all-rounders for flexibility and anti-corrosive properties. The LA series is Rutgers’ largest series of resins. These resins are used in paints and have applications for civil engineering and in a variety of other industries. He then moved on to the final item, which was the use of NOVARES® liquid modifiers as chemical resistances boosters for aspartic coating systems. NOVARES® liquid modifiers cure quickly and can influence a variety of properties including anti-corrosiveness and chemical resistance.

Conducting this webinar with Rutgers was a great joy for HM Royal, and we were happy to give Rutgers a platform to share so much useful information. If you missed the webinar and would like to know more detail about these materials, you can watch the recording online

Conference Spotlight: International Elastomer Conference

It’s time for a field trip!

HM Royal is proud to announce our participation in the 2014 International Elastomer Conference, held in Nashville, TN from October 14^th – 16^th.  The International Elastomer Conference is the premier place where customers, suppliers of materials, equipment, tools and services, and educators come together. It provides a forum for the exchange of ideas, observations, regulatory reforms, and emerging scientific technologies, as well as learning, networking, seeing current customers, and making new ones.

HM Royal will be in attendance for the entirety of the conference and will be sharing a booth with AkzoNobel, a global leader in the paints and coatings industry as well as a producer of specialty chemicals. Please stop by Booth 916, say hello, hang out for a bit, and enter for your chance to win a daily giveaway prize!

Take a look at the map if you need to know where to find us, we are in the center near the top in the Floor Plan.  

Looking for a full Exhibitor List so you can maximize your conference time? 

No problem…Check It Out!

With over 2,500 attendees expected at this year’s conference, there will be no shortage of industry experts, networking opportunities, learning experiences, and of course, excitement. This is the perfect opportunity to learn from the best in our industry, get answers from the premier experts, discover new connections, and have access to all of Rubber Division, ACS’s valuable resources in one place. 

Components of the conference include: International Rubber Expo, 186^th Technical Meeting, Educational Symposiums, Career Fair, ACS Committee Meetings, and a plethora of special events including a 5k Walk and a Business Awards Meeting.

For the full Conference Guide and a comprehensive look at the event, Click Here.

Still looking to make housing or travel arrangements? Check out the Housing and Travel page! 

The Combined Forces of Chem-Trend and Dow Adhesives

As a supplier of so many different compounding agents across industries, we often get a unique view of the types of products our customers use and how seemingly dissimilar chemical ingredients can work together in one compound to produce some amazing results. One of these instances is the unlikely yet harmonious pairing of a Chem-Trend release agent and a Dow Advanced adhesive. We’ve often found that if our customers have a need for one, they will most likely require the other. They’re the perfect pair! Read on to learn why:

What do Mold Release Agents and RTM Adhesives Have in Common?

Typically, the rubber molding process involves two hot rubber molds coming together to force a block of rubber into a shape. These rubber pieces are then heated to maintain the shape of the mold. In some cases the rubber needs to be fully released from the metal mold. That’s where the Chem-Trend mold release agents come into play. In other instances, a strong adhesive is required to permanently bond a metal part to the rubber, and a compounder will need a bonding product such as the Thixon or RoBond.

Dow Advanced RTM Adhesives Improve Rubber Molding

Dow Automotive Systems supplies us with Rubber to Metal Bonding Adhesives for countless applications. Bonding rubber to a variety of metal and plastics requires a custom formulated adhesive system with a strong, reliable and lasting adhesion. In order to meet all demands, Dow Automotive Systems offers several different types of RTM Adhesives that are water based:

• Megum: Used in polymer to metal bonding.
• RoBond: Polymer Adhesive used most often in bonding polymers to substrates. 
• Thixon: Diverse adhesive that can be applied to any number of materials. 

Chem-Trend Mold Release Agents Expedite the Rubber Manufacturing Process

Chem-Trend Mono-Coat is used on the metal surfaces of the mold so that the rubber part falls out easily after the part is heat cured. Sound complicated? Think of it as spraying Pam on a muffin tin so that the muffins fall out after they are cooked. Chem-Trend offers silicone based, non-silicone based, and water based versions of the mono-coat for different rubber applications.

The combination of Dow Advanced Materials’ Rubber to Metal (RTM) Adhesives and Chem-Trend’s Mono-Coat Semi-Permanent Mold Release Agent is allowing us to provide every component needed for your rubber molding process. Supplying both types of products also allows us to help customers simplify purchasing processes and provide more efficient product development.

To request technical data sheets or more information on any of our products, contact us today!