July 22, 2019

Custom packaging solution to prevent costly product damage

SpecTape is constantly looking for ways to increase specialty and customized items to better provide our customers with solutions that fulfill their packaging, fabricating, and production needs.

Recently SpecTape had the opportunity to offer a packaging solution to a customer that could reduce the estimated 1 million dollars lost due to damages occurring during transport and delivery of their products.

The customer needed a solution designed to hold their large molded parts together during transit. The solution needed to be robust enough to protect the product during loading, unloading, and any additional handling during the delivery process. After reviewing the issues presented by the customer and working one-on-one with their packaging team, SpecTape identified the best solution was to design a custom stretch film machine to handle the customer’s bulky products. SpecTape then partnered with Western Plastics to produce a customized piece of equipment designed to hold the customer’s product on the machine during packaging. This machine could take the very bulky, stacked parts and wrap them securely enough to the point where there was little to no movement occurring during transit. The film selected has exceptional memory and keeps constant tension on the pack, making the finished pallet of goods more secure.

With the custom equipment and specialty film in place, the damages have declined significantly. This customer has since added a second machine to their main location and many others have begun purchasing the solution designed by SpecTape. We were able to design a custom process with a personal touch to provide the customer the perfect solution to their issues. SpecTape shines in custom applications where the challenges go beyond providing another “me to” product by leveraging our knowledge, expertise, and solutions on the best materials to guarantee success in your application.

March 26, 2020

Texas Based Manufacturing Firm Joins the Fight to Deploy Personal Protective Equipment to Healthcare Workers

Insul-Fab, based in Coppell, Texas, is typically manufacturing parts for Original Equipment Manufacturers of HVAC equipment, commercial aircraft and computer companies. But after a conversation with a key supplier, 3M COMPANY, they were challenged to use materials that they had already sourced in order to fill the growing demand in Personal Protective Equipment for front line health care workers.

President and CEO, Shelby Ricketts, is working with his engineering and production teams to deploy a light-duty face shield ideal for first responders, temporary COVID-19 testing stations, hospital personnel and others workforces that may be exposed to fluids while coming into close contact with people who may be ill. The product covers the nose, mouth, eyes and ears. It is lightweight and lays flat, making it easy to ship in bulk and distribute to personnel on the front lines. It is made from a 10-mil polycarbonate film, with a foam spacer made for skin contact and an adjustable elastic Velcro strap. It is ideal for local governments, large hospitals and other entities that need a high volume of easy-to-deploy face shields.

“As a 3M SELECT CONVERTER, we are ready to bring low cost protective shields to thousands of health care workers during this critical time. We are prepared to shift our high-volume production resources to provide the protection they so desperately need. Our ability to manufacture and distribute on a large scale makes us uniquely qualified to fill a void in PPE for healthcare workers” said Ricketts.

Insul-Fab is a Division of Concote Corporation, headquartered in Coppell, Texas, a suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth. It employs over 200 people between its three locations in Coppell, Tyler, Texas and Monterrey, Mexico. It has over 200,000 square feet of manufacturing space dedicated to manufacturing a variety of insulating materials for the HVAC, Aerospace, Defense, Medical and Original Equipment Manufacturing industries.

To learn more about the design and manufacturing or for media inquiries, contact:

Shelby Ricketts President and CEO Concote Corporation 600 Freeport Parkway, Suite 150 Coppell, Texas 75019 Phone (214) 693-2208 www.insulfab.net shelbyr@concote.com

March 17, 2020

COVID-19/Coronavirus

To address the numerous inquiries that Insul-Fab, Division of Concote Corporation is receiving regarding the status of our capability to supply products to our customers, we have established this informational news page. Please check back as needed for updates until the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak are no longer a concern.

3/23/20 - On Sunday, 3/22, Dallas County issued a “Stay Home Stay Safe” order restricting the activity of citizens in an effort to further contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Concote Corporation’s headquarters are in Coppell, which is within the Dallas County limits. Many of our employees at that facility also reside in Dallas County. We take this order very seriously and will follow its guidance regarding essential business activity and DCHHS distancing and hygiene recommendations. Concote Corporation has been contacted and identified by many of its customers as an essential business making products to support the Defense Industrial Base, Healthcare, Transportation, Energy, and First Responders infrastructure of our country. We will remain open and endeavor to supply our customers to support this request. Employees that are healthy, willing, and able to participate in normal work activities are asked to do so, where work-from-home practices aren’t feasible. Likewise, companies that supply us with materials and services to make and deliver these products are also deemed essential by the guidelines provided by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. We are maintaining contact with all major suppliers and providing them with justification of our essential business status, to further the importance of maintaining the supply chain under proper conditions. Many of them are responding that they already identify under this status as well, and plan to maintain uninterrupted supply to the best of their ability. We are not currently aware of any significant supply interruptions. As always, any delay to our customers’ orders will be conveyed to them on a case-by-case basis. We thank them for working patiently with us during this dynamic situation. Concote Corporation also operates Insul-Fab production locations in Tyler, TX and Monterey, Mexico that are not impacted by the new order in Dallas County.

3/20/20 -As impacts of the coronavirus COVID-19 continue to develop, we remain committed to our customers, employees, suppliers, and representatives to provide you with the latest news of our supply chain status. To date, our operations in Texas and Mexico have still had minimal business impact and we are a meeting a high level of product demand. Supply of materials from our suppliers remains steady and few are reporting any anticipated delays in conjunction with their assurances that detailed measures are being taken within their own organization to avoid contamination of their workforce and facilities. Overnight, news of California, Pennsylvania, and New York directing the immediate closure of all “non-essential” businesses changed the domestic supply situation. Others could potentially follow this measure. We are contacting vendors in those states for specific updates on their operations and any outstanding orders we may have. Where these have implications affecting our customer orders, this will be communicated on a case-by-case basis as soon as possible. Within our own operations, we continue preventive hygiene practices, regular disinfection of common touch-surfaces, distancing of employees through physical and shift adjustments, and providing work-from-home and virtual meeting services where applicable. Non-essential visitors are prohibited, and essential non-employee visitors are required to execute proper hygiene practices upon arrival. The safety and health of our employees and their families is paramount, and we remain thankful that thus far, none have been infected by the virus.

3/16/2020 - As of this date, we are not currently experiencing any delays of inbound materials that would prevent the manufacture of existing customer orders as a result of COVID-19. Concote Corporation is currently operating with full capacity, with all employees reporting to work and all equipment operating. Our supply chain has not been significantly impacted, but we are continually checking with our largest suppliers routinely and asking for them to provide us with forewarning of such delays, if possible. Order status and delays for any reason will be communicated on a per customer or per order basis, the same as during normal operations. It is, however, incumbent upon all of our valued customers to honor standard lead times that have been agreed to, as expedited and unplanned requirements for product may not be able to be met, as they have often been in the past.

Internally, the management team at Concote Corporation is providing our employees with supplies to keep personal work and common areas clean to mitigate the transmission of viruses for their safety. Employee travel is restricted and onsite visitors have been reduced. Employee presence is encouraged at our facilities unless they present symptoms of illness or have been in contact with anyone known to carry the coronavirus. Thankfully, no Concote employees or their immeidate family members have been diagnosed with COVID-19. As needed, employees with children needing attention at home during school closures will be allowed flexibility of work-remote status or PTO to accomodate the current circumstances. We currently have a staff adequate to support all orders in time to meet the delivery dates confirmed to our customers.

August 6, 2019

Concote Expands Diesel Insulation Blanket Line

Concote continues to expand its work in flexible insulation blankets for the diesel engine industry.

Diesel engines burn fuel differently than their gasoline-powered counterparts, and often produce less desirable emissions. As global emission standards increase, diesel engine manufacturers have implemented new engine designs which improve emissions but cause significant, additional heat generation.

Concote’s diesel exhaust wraps reduce and control potential radiant heat damage. Concote is continually its diesel exhaust wrap line into industries such as motor home, bus, commercial power generation and a number of industries, all of which grapple with a common problem: how to reduce radiant heat associated with diesel exhaust. Concote’s diesel wrap insulation blankets provide protection at the most demanding temperatures - up to 1300°F. Additionally, Concote’s exhaust wraps are custom-fitted with fastening systems designed for easy installation, removal and servicing.