On 1st April 2020, Sekisui SPI, the manufacturer of Kydex thermoplastics, will be renamed Sekisui Kydex, LLC. The new name brings together the corporate values from parent organisation, Sekisui Chemical, which are embodied in the company culture, along with the Kydex thermoplastics manufacturing processes and service model.
Sekisui Chemical acquired the Kydex brand in 1990, and its thermoplastics are specialised polymers manufactured with short lead times in small production batches. Using the Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) model to support the bespoke nature of new customer demands, Sekisui Kydexmanufactures exactly what customers want in the time and sizes needed to help them rapidly innovate and grow.
When Ronn Cort became President and COO of Sekisui SPI in 2012, he was presented an opportunity to work with Sekisui Chemical more closely. “I wanted our customers and communities to experience the commitment to the environment and society that I saw at Sekisui Chemical,” said Cort.
Cort was inspired by the company’s 100-year vision and its values of ‘service, speed, and superiority’ In this case service refers to creating social, environmental and economic value through responsible business practices; speed means accelerating innovation by taking on challenges, adapting to change and staying ahead of the times; and superiority refers to contributing to society by helping to solve social issues with superior technologies and quality.
“With the support of Sekisui Chemical, the Kydex brand is expanding its products and services for future generations. The significant investment in our manufacturing campuses enables and encourages us to develop new material solutions in collaboration with our partners and customers. The people, architecture, routines and culture of Sekisui Kydex are specifically designed to take us to new places, because there are no old roads to new destinations,” said Cort.
Kydex thermoplastics range from PVC to polycarbonate (PC) materials and high-impact performance plastics (HIPPS). The company has also opened its appLab and designLab innovation centres, which are collaborative spaces for clients and customers, intended to bring the supply chain together for rapid prototyping and to inspire colour, trim, and finish designers.
