NCFI Polyurethanes, the US company that pioneered the scientific development and use of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) for roofing and insulation in the 1960s, and polyurethane foam for geotechnical applications in the 1980s, has opened a new manufacturing facility in Houston.
According to NCFI president, Chip Holton, even with more than 600,000 square feet of manufacturing space in the US, and 14 distribution warehouses, one of countryโs last remaining independent system houses hasnโt had time to enjoy their success.
โWeโve been experiencing a surge in demand,โ says Holton. โโTexas is the center of the petroleum and chemical industry in the US, so being closer to our raw materials suppliers helps us shorten our supply chain.โ He continues, โOur leadership is looking atย North American polyurethane foam CAGR between 5.68-6.5 percent by 2024 with building, construction, and geotechnical the largest segments.ย SPF now accounts for 40 percent of the insulation market, and that will continue rising, so it is vital our production volume is fine-tuned to meet the demand.โ
According to Holton, NCFIโs Construction Foam Division, which produces SPF roofing and coatings under the Enduratech brand, residential SPF insulation under the InsulStar, InsulStar 1.7, and InsulStar Light brands, and commercial SPF insulation under the InsulStar and InsulBloc brands has experienced consistent growth over the past five years, while their geotechnical divisionโs Terrathane brand is also experiencing steady growth. โOur plan for sustainable growth went into effect about five years ago. As an independent company we knew weโd have to be nimble enough to shift our product lines and switch capacity from one plant to another as we grew. With the new Texas footprint, weโre closer to raw materials, and weโre in the middle of one of the strongest building markets in the USโTexas and the Southwest. We have direct access to almost all of the US population.โ
Holton says they designed the plant to be the โmost advanced manufacturing facility in the industry as far as automation goes.โ He says, โThat plant plays as big role in maintaining what we see are four key elements to our competitive advantage in the US building market: continuing to produce the highest quality products for which weโre known, taking remarkable care of our contractors, while providing training and technical support based on our 55-plus years of building and spraying experience, scientific product innovation ahead of the industry curve, making our manufacturing facilities the safest for our associates and most efficient for our customers. Weโve done that with the Houston plant.โ
With an opening date scheduled for January 1, 2021, Holton says the pandemic made sticking to the plan a daily challenge. โTrying to move equipment across the country, hire and train new production associates, get an advanced manufacturing facility built and new equipment installed and up-and-running, and getting the needed test runs underway to meet our Q&A standards made for an anxious 4Q20. We were literally opening Christmas gifts then doing Zoom calls for updates on the plant. And we made it, the plant opened the first week of January and weโre producing and shipping material now.โ
While R&D will remain in NC, the new Houston facility will house the companyโs main audio-visual-interactive training center with the latest learning tools. โThat is one of our main goals for 2021, contractor education and training. Weโll do more and do it better, so NCFI contractors become the gold standard for applicators in the US.โ
According to Holton, now that the Texas plant is online it frees up space and capacity at the main plant in NC for production for their custom formulated products. โThe shift will help us balance production within our divisions. Our OEM work with custom integral skins, elastomers, and fire-rated panels will expand to fill the remaining space.โ He says, โOur plan is to expand capacity at all plants, and perhaps open new facilities, as we grow toward the next 55 years. Texas is the first big step forward.โ
ABOUT NCFIย
NCFI, was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Mount Airy, NC. The company manufactures polyurethane foam chemical systems for spray foam (SPF) insulation, geotechnical, agricultural, roofing, marine flotation, packaging, specialty molding, and many other uses. The company also offers a complete line of flexible foams for furniture seating, transportation seating, bedding, carpet underlay, and packaging. NCFIย also has manufacturing plants in Dalton, GA., and Houston, TX. NCFI belongs to the Barnhardt Manufacturing Company, Inc. family of companies. To learn more about NCFI please visit www.NCFI.com.