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Over the past half century, Thombert, Inc. has evolved into a world-class leader in the design and manufacture of engineered elastomers, specializing in durable, high-quality polyurethanes. Today, the Iowa-based company manufactures approximately 4,000 different parts for 400 customers in nearly 200 different industries.
The keys to the company's success have been a strong belief in continuous improvements and an absolute dedication by employees to provide top-quality products and service to customers.
An Historical Review...
Thombert began in 1946 in Newton, Iowa, as a manufacturer specializing in custom wood furniture, primarily kitchen cabinets. The name Thombert comes from a combination of the first names of the two brothers who founded the company, Thomas R. and Robert L. Smith. The company progressed to plastics manufacturing in 1952 to take advantage of the growing market for these innovative products.
Over the next several years, Thombert focused its energies and resources on designing, testing and manufacturing high quality industrial plastics. In 1958, the company became one of the first in North American licensed to cast polyurethane elastomers. DYALON®, a product best described as an "elastoplastic," combines the best engineering characteristics of plastic and rubber. Thombert acquired exclusive rights to the trademark DYALON® to designate products molded from this unique material. Advantages included superior abrasion resistance, cut resistance, load carrying ability, plus more. Within a short time, Thombert's DYALON® became the preferred material for such products as industrial truck wheels and tires, as well as numerous other components. Today, nearly half of U.S. manufactured lift trucks run on Thombert wheels and tires made from DYALON®.
In 1987, Thombert became the first licensed manufacturer of Vulkollan® in the U.S., a high-performance polyurethane elastomer from Germany. This product, which cost nearly twice as much to produce as DYALON®, was an exceptional success. In 1995, continuous material improvement led to the development of another Thombert product. DYALON "A" GHp is a high performance material designed to provide longer service life in challenging applications.
A Look Ahead...
Demand for polyurethane continues to grow worldwide. As a proven leader, customers know they can look to Thombert for innovative solutions to their problems.
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