NPE Purchase Helps Jifram Sustain Growing Business
(Pawcatuck, Conn.) - The home improvement products' business for Jifram Extrusions, Inc. has been so good that the company purchased a Davis-Standard Super Blue® extruder with DS-eTPC controls directly off the show floor at NPE. The new 3 ½-inch (90mm) extruder, installed immediately after the show, is being used to manufacture a range of products including closet organizers, storage solutions and fence covers. Jifram appreciates the quick installation of the Super Blue as well as the efficiency of the DS-eTPC, which includes a 12.1-inch (300mm) color touch-screen with built-in PLC processor and multi-loop temperature control. The DS-eTPC is Davis-Standard's most recent discrete controller replacement.
"The training time for the TPC controller was minimal and the extruder was up and running in no time at all," said Steven Fischer, President of Jifram Custom Extrusions. "The PLC decreased set up time and increased accuracy in setting the machine parameters on the TPC. We have not accessed all of the features on the TPC, but as we become more familiar with this machine, we are certain it will offer us even more conveniences."
Jifram, based in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, has been a Davis-Standard customer since the company opened its doors in 1981. After an initial Davis-Standard purchase, Jifram added extruders from other manufacturers, but realized the importance of purchasing from one primary manufacturer and went back to Davis-Standard. The company now owns eight Davis-Standard extruders and coextruders ranging in size from 2 to 3½ inches (50 to 90mm).
"We appreciate that Davis-Standard supplies high quality, durable, American-made extruders," said Fischer. "They have an excellent reputation and very responsive customer service. We are a custom operation so we need machines that run a variety of resins at rates ranging from 1½ feet (.45 meters) per minute all the way up to 150 feet (45 meters) per minute. Davis-Standard has also helped us with our coextrusion and triextrusion capabilities."
While the company's home improvement business is growing, Jifram's primary specialty is the point of purchase market. Jifram products are used in displays at major retail outlets throughout the United States. They also supply to OEM customers, two of which were Jifram's first and second accounts when the business first opened. Jifram does most of its business in the Midwestern part of the U.S., but has also shipped to Canada, Mexico and Taiwan.
According to Fischer, Jifram's greatest advantage is its people. Jifram is a family owned and operated business. The company's founder James R. Fischer (Steven's father) is still active in the business. Employee turnover is minimal. The company's first hired employee is still there, working as Jifram's Quality Control Manager. Steven and his brother Greg learned the business early, both helping their father as teenagers and coming back to the business full-time after college.
"Being a family owned business definitely impacts how we operate. We are focused on customer service, ingenuity, competitive pricing and lead-time. We realize that we can no longer just extrude profiles, we must be a full service company," explained Fischer. "Davis-Standard has played an important role in supplying the equipment needed to support our evolving business model."
For more information about Jifram, visit www.jifram.com. For more information about Davis-Standard's Super Blue extruder and DS-eTPC controllers, contact Wendell Whipple at wwhipple@davis-standard.com.
CONTACT
Luann Kupka
Marketing & Sales Administration Manager
Extrusion Systems
860-599-6262
