What is Chemours Viton™?

What is Chemours Viton™?

The answer is simple: It’s Viton™ Sheet Rubber. Not a knockoff. Not a replica. Not an equivalent. It is the same product. It is exactly what we once knew as Dupont Viton™ Rubber. It just has a different name and (see right) logo. Chemours is a recent spin off from Dupont, and they’ve finally rebranded this famous product into their own image. The material itself, however, remains unchanged: a made in the USA, top shelf, heavily specified fluoroelastomer with a temperature-corrosive chemical resistance combination that has no peer on the market.

Thermodyn Opens New Warehouse In Ohio

We’re still filling the racks with inventory in our new warehouse

We are excited to announce the opening of our new Ohio warehouse. Located across the street from the main base of our longtime operations in Toledo, the facility’s highlight is a 5,000 square feet stockroom. We are rapidly filling it up with rubber.  Here’s a sampling of the inventory we’re building up at the new building:

Specification Grade Silicone. Meets ZZ-R-765 and Mil-R-5847 specs.

Tan Rubber Gum. 4o Durometer

Viton Sheet Rubber, from commercial grade material to spec grades A, B, and F

What does this mean for our customers? It not only means access to more material, but it also means quicker access to material. We pride ourselves on some of the quickest turnaround times in the industry and this facility will take that to another level. Don’t let your projects stall because you are short on rubber. Give us a shout and between our warehouse in Houston and, our now two in Ohio, we should be able to get you back on track in no time. To talk to one our customer service representatives please call 1-800-654-6518 or  1–800-569-2150.

What Is Going On Between Thermodyn And Global Sealing?

The last month has been a whirlwind. From the ISD Spring Tech Expo to the GFA and FSA conventions, it feels like we’ve been on the go all of April. It was not tiring. Rather, it was a lot of fun. And quite exhilarating seeing so many of you in such a short amount of time. It was great catching up, hearing about your needs as customers and sharing a few laughs. We look forward to helping you complete your projects during the upcoming year.

One theme that kept repeating itself on all our stops was what in the world is going on between Thermodyn Corporation in Ohio and Global Sealing in Houston? When Thermodyn’s name appeared in front of Global Sealing’s late last year, most people assumed the former had simply purchased the latter. It’s a fair assumption, however the two companies have been linked from the get go. After 20 years in business on their own in Ohio, Thermodyn “expanded” and opened up Global Sealing in 1999 to serve the growing needs of oil and gas industry along the Gulf Coast.  Over the years, Thermodyn has developed a reputation as the leading distributor for Viton™ FKM material and high quality, state of the art expansion joints. And Global Sealing became a go-to place to shop for all sorts of commercial grade rubber needs. There has always been a lot of crossover between the two and we’ve been helping each other and our customers behind the scenes all these years.

Flash forward to the current day. It’s been an exciting stretch for Global Sealing. We’ve changed locations in Houston, moving into a new building on Homestead Avenue. We’ve re-organized our warehouse and inventory control. We’ve undergone a personnel makeover giving us a friendlier, more professional staff. And the last of these changes is finally marrying the two company names onto our Houston marquee: Thermodyn Global Sealing.

It might seem like a simple cosmetic change, but we think it is a big deal. We’re capitalizing on the good record each company has already carved out in their respective fields to become more of a one stop shop for our customers regardless of if you call us in Ohio or Texas. Our staffs at both facilities are well versed with our entire product line. Call us in Ohio. Call us in Texas. We’re waiting at both places to ensure your success is sealed.

Jim Briggs To Head Engineered Coated Fabrics Division

Boosting their new Engineered Coated Fabrics Division, Thermodyn Corporation hired industry veteran Jim Briggs to be the its new director.

While a formal division devoted to that marketplace is new territory for Thermodyn, working with engineered coated products is business as usual for the northwest Ohio firm.  Since opening its doors in 1979, Thermodyn has a long history of combing Viton with fiberglass, aramids and other diaphragm materials as well as using high tech coated fabrics in its expansion joint production. Thermodyn’s current line of engineered products include fully cured elastomeric coated textiles in a variety of weights, gauges, polymers and fabrics and focuses primarily on technically demanding temperature and chemical resistant sealing and pressure regulation applications.

Briggs, whose formal title is Director of Engineering Coated Fabrics Division, is tasked with expanding the company’s footprint in the marketplace and engineering solutions and alternative applications for these products. He’s made sales calls in every corner of the United States and already has helped pull some of Thermodyn’s established clients out of a jam with his creative approach and contacts throughout the raw  material supply chain.

Jim and his wife April tailgating at the NC State-UNC game. The Heels won and Jim owed his wife a frozen yogurt as a result. Jim is down a lot of yogurts.

Jim arrives at Thermodyn with 30 years of field experience with previous stints at Longwood Elastomers, Fiberweb and Fairprene. At that latter stop, Briggs earned a reputation for technical development and problem solving for a broad range of metering, gasket, medical and sealing applications. Briggs attended North Carolina State University earning a degree in Textiles. His unique educational background gives Thermodyn something it’s never had before–a degreed expert in the field. Company Vice President Jeff MacMillan said that while Thermodyn has always prided itself on having great, knowledgeable people representing the firm, Briggs gives them a level of in-house expertise they’ve never had before.

“He’s a walking technical division. His experience will allow us to develop new technologies for new markets.” —Thermodyn Vice President Jeff MacMillan

Jim and his wife April reside in Elon, a beautiful small college town in North Carolina. They’ve been married for 21 years and have a son Chase, who attends Campbell University, and a daughter Ally, a high school senior. Jim is a second generation North Carolina State alum and lives everything Wolf Pack. April, however, is a UNC alum, so football and basketball gamedays are always interesting in the Briggs’s household when the Wolf Pack and Tar Heels tangle. Jim also enjoys church activities, improving his golf game, dining on eastern North Carolina barbeque and NASCAR. Speaking of which, Jim thinks Matt Kenseth takes the Great American Race in Daytona next month.

Jim can be reached at 336-392-0912 and jimb@thermodyn.com.