Delivering Short Lead Times for Rubber Solutions

Supply chain issues are challenging equipment manufacturers across the continent. These manufacturers often have a wide supply chain network that usually includes imported products to ensure they stay competitive in the market. 

Unfortunately, supply chains have not been operating the same way it has traditionally, leading to lengthy delays and increased costs. 

Instead of accepting longer lead times and higher charges, manufacturers are contacting us and finding that we can offer a comparable price with drastically quicker lead times for their imported rubber parts. 

Rubber extending equipment life 

A customer that manufactures piledrivers for companies across the US recently made the switch. Piledrivers are devices that insert piles (steel or wooden pillars that support a structure’s weight) deep into the ground. These devices are equipped with special hammers that secure the piles into place. 

Each hammer creates a lot of impact when it hammers a pile into the soil. In fact, the collision is so strong that the hammer damages itself. 

To minimize breakdown, our customer wraps Rubber Impact Rings to each piledriver they manufacture to protect it from tremendous wear and stress. 

Rubber is a natural shock absorber. When the hammer collides with a pile, the rubber ring cushions the impact that is redirected back to the machine—much like how we wear gloves to protect our hands when we punch a punching bag. 

Without these rings, our customer won’t be able to manufacture a reliable piledriver. Our customer, based in Washington, buys its rubber impact rings from a vendor in China. However, supply chain issues were delaying its orders to the point that our customer was waiting three or more months for its parts. 

Instead of waiting, our customer decided to contact Redwood Plastics and Rubber.