General Polymers Further Expands its Thermoplastic Materials Portfolio

As the “new” General Polymers Thermoplastic Materials, Clarkston, Mich., approaches its first birthday in mid-October, it’s impressive to see the great strides that have been made in both partnering with quality suppliers of thermoplastic resins and compounds as well as expanding its distribution. And, all aimed at highly personalized material/technical servicing of small-to-medium sized North American custom injection molders. Key supplier partners include Asahi Kasei, Domo, SABIC, Mirathane, KEP, Radici Group, Pier One Polymers, Polymax, HDC Engineering Plastics, Color Master, and most recently Elix Polymers.

The company was created by Gregory Boston—former executive of General Polymers-Ashland Distribution, EMS-Grivory & Asahi Kasei, and co-founder Michael Kirtley, president of Spartan Polymers, Romeo, Mich., and formerly of Channel Prime Alliance, Ostermann, and Delta Polymers. Boston has noted that the partners recognized that a space for a new entry in national distribution had been created by the advent of “supersized distributors” through consolidations of smaller distribution entities. “We are honoring the lessons that Michael and I learned during the early days of authorized resin distribution where relationships with resin producers and a focus on small-to-medium sized processors were important in the industry. The industry has matured and grown since the original General Polymers days, but understanding your product line and providing value to the processing industry has remained constant.”

Initially the company started with commercial coverage in the Midwest, but rapidly expanded into other areas of the U.S. and Canada. Within a couple of months, the expanded geography comprised about a third of the U.S., spanning from Ontario, west to Illinois and Kansas and south to Georgia. Moreover, in mid-March of this year, the partners announced their expansion into the mid-Atlantic/Northeast corridor with sales coverage and warehouse locations in Rochester, NY and Bayonne, N.J.

The breadth of resins and compounds being offered by now is also striking and include: ABS, acetal, acrylic, nylons 6 and 66, PC, PC/ABS, PE, PP, PP compounds, PPE/PPO, PPS, PS, PVC TPO, TPE/TPV, TPU, long glass compounds, specialty compounds, and custom color and blends.