Flowcrete Group Ltd was recently presented with the RPM 2014 Connections Creating Value Award in recognition of its outstanding collaborations with fellow RPM International Inc. companies.
The award acknowledges the efforts of a company that has successfully worked with other entities in the RPM family to facilitate mutual growth, intercompany partnerships and co-operative business plans.
Working across four separate continents, Flowcrete has been leveraging manufacturing capabilities, sales channels, local knowledge and management teams to enhance the presence, production capacity and market share of multiple RPM companies.
Flowcrete Group President Mark Greaves explains that their expansion strategies around the world have opened up multiple opportunities for working alongside other RPM businesses towards a common goal. He observed that the collaborative style of operation epitomises the entrepreneurial RPM ethos that encourages companies to capitalise on opportunities by pooling talents, capabilities and resources in a manner that benefits all parties.
He added that RPM’s 2014 Connections Creating Value Award demonstrated the importance placed by both RPM and Flowcrete in this synergised approach to business.
Among the many projects recognised by this award is Flowcrete’s work to boost Tremco and Carboline’s reach in Asia by having their products manufactured at its Malaysian manufacturing facility. This has led to the manufacture of 185,000 US gallons of Tremco Asia’s Tremproof 60 system with additional Tremco products to be manufactured locally in Asia over the next 12 months.
Both companies have benefitted from this initiative through savings made on shipping, import duty and storage costs while also increasing local stock levels and reducing lead times throughout Southeast Asia.
In another example, Flowcrete and Euclid Chemical have together introduced a range of Euclid Chemical’s products and admixtures to the Indian market, which will be supported by the establishment of a full Euclid manufacturing facility in India within the next six months. New equipment for producing Isocrete floor screeds is being utilised to manufacture Euclid Chemical’s powder products. Additionally, Flowcrete India has shared its regional expertise to develop a strategy and sales force to further Euclid Chemical’s market penetration.
Similarly, Productos Cave, a Euclid Chemical company, is collaborating with Flowcrete Americas in Chile to launch the ultra-hygienic flooring solution Flowfresh into the country.
Flowcrete Americas’ Latin American expansion plan also involves similar partnerships with Viapol in Brazil, Toxement in Colombia as well as the supply of material to Stoncor SCC in Argentina.
Stoncor is a key Flowcrete partner in the Gulf region, where an exchange of formulations, process knowledge and quality control standards has led to a considerable amount of Flowcrete’s Deckshield traffic deck coatings being manufactured at Stoncor’s facilities in Dubai and Saudi Arabia over the last three years. Key benefits include increased margins, lower lead times and greater cost savings for the production of Deckshield in the Middle East.
Closer to Flowcrete Group’s UK headquarters, the resin flooring specialists have been collaborating with RPM sister companies in Europe since 2010. This relationship encompasses manufacturing screed materials on behalf of Tremco UK, as well as collaborative research and development, which led to the launch of a new fast-setting latex in FY14.
