Inca Molded Products Inc. Announces New President, Transition In Ownership
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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 26, 2006-Inca Molded Products Inc. announces the recent acquisition of the business from James (Jim) R. Porter, the firm's president and founder, by J. Robert Porter Jr., who becomes its president and owner.
A family-owned business established by Jim Porter, Inca is one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of rotationally molded plastic fuel tanks in the marine industry, as well as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of custom components. Robert Porter had been serving as general manager since 1997 and as a part-owner of the business for the past 10 years.
"The future of Inca Molded Products and the rotational molding industry is growing and will continue to expand," emphasizes Robert Porter. "Rotomolding has many applications. Through the vision of our engineering team coupled with our customer's need for a solution, our firm continually develops applications to use rotational molding.
"Our revenue from production of diversified products has grown to 15% of our total revenues, while our marine fuel tank manufacturing continues to be the strongest segment of our business. Our overall revenue continues to expand year end and year out." Porter says, "This growth can be attributed to more industries becoming familiar with our process and it advantages, as well as the dedication of our employees."
"We feel this growth reflects that Inca Molded Products' engineering team has become proficient in developing new lighter weight, durable products that once might have been only available in metal, wood or other materials, and the market is responding," Porter states.
He continues, "Over the past 27 years, Inca has grown to be a leader in the area of rotationally molded products used in many industries. At Inca Molded Products, we are driven by continuous improvement of company systems; manufacturing safe, reliable products and services; and making Inca a great place for our employees to work."
Jim Porter pioneered the first permanently installed cross-linked polyethylene fuel tank in the boating business. After serving as a plant manager for Inca Plastics in the 1970s, Jim Porter founded Inca Molded Products Inc. in 1979 to pursue the marine fuel tank market.
Today, Inca has more than 1.3 million permanently installed plastic tanks in the field serving a variety of industries. A highly qualified team of mechanical, industrial and process engineers ensures production of each product to client specifications.
Inca's marine products are subjected to rigid quality safety and testing requirements, including the mechanical strength, slosh, pressure and leak tests; the stringent U.S. Coast Guard fire test; and three separate visual inspections, including a light table inspection. All fuel tanks are manufactured to meet American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC)/National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA)/Coast Guard standards.
Robert Porter points out, "Because of our long-standing adherence to these requirements, Inca has developed an expertise that adds value to all of our fuel tank products."
The Inca manufacturing facility operates six rotomolding machines, and with its own in-house tooling department, has the ability to build, repair and modify fabricated molds in-house. Inca can handle products and shipments internationally, as well as nationwide. Rotationally molded products are applicable to many industries, including agriculture, automotive, chemical, construction equipment, emergency fire specialized storage, highway and road barrier and crash impact cartridges, industrial cleaning equipment, lawn and garden, marine, materials handling, off-road vehicles, outdoor power, point of purchase, and recreational and playground products.
In the rotational molding process, heat is applied to a plastic resin in a closed mold melts and fuses in a three-stage process. After resin is loaded into a mold, the mold is inserted into an oven and rotated on two axes at low speed until the resin fuses and adheres to the mold's inner surface. While still rotating, the mold is cooled gradually until it reaches the temperature that the part can be safely removed from the mold after the rotation ends. A variety of materials can be used, including polyethylene, nylon, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride (PVC) and custom formulated compounds,
Robert Porter, Jim Porter's son, learned many facets of the business working "hands-on" in the molding department, secondary assembly, maintenance, shipping/receiving, inspection and the mold shop, prior to completing his bachelor of science business degree with a major in marketing from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. In 1991, he joined Inca as a manager trainee, then served as a salesman for two years. In 1994, he was promoted to sales manager. He was named general manager in 1997. In addition, he has completed certificates in various aspects of rotational molding, lean manufacturing, effective negotiating, Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and Evaporative Emissions from Boat Fuel Systems.
Active professionally, Robert Porter has served as a member of the Association of Rotational Molding (ARM) since 1991 and was elected to the board in 2006. In addition, he has served on the American Boat and Yacht Council PTC Committee since 1991 and the National Marine Manufacturers Association EVAP Task Force since 2001.
In the community, he was a member of the board of the Williamson County Chapter of the University of Tennessee National Alumni Association from 1999 to 2004, serving as its president from 2001 to 2002. A member of Brentwood United Methodist Church, he volunteers for the 61st Ave. United Methodist Church "Heads Up Hoops" program. He and his wife, Virginia, have three children: Jenna, Annie and Sam.
Inca Molded Products is committed to establishing a strong partnership with its clients, and offers design assistance, quality control, secondary operations and flexibility in manufacturing to specifications. The company's capabilities range from small custom orders manufactured to engineering specifications, to high quantity run requirements for designs of all types. The manufacturing facility is located at 6400 Louisiana Ave., Nashville, TN 37209. For more information on the variety of products manufactured and supplied by Inca, please visit the website at www.incaproducts.com, or call 615-350-7290.
