| 29 T T Sue Russell Rubber stretches across many industries Rubber Developments Ltd has grown from creating rubber compounds, to full rubber product manufacturing capability. Rubber Developments “We do specific formulations and a big part of it is problem solving, finding the right solutions to get the bestpossible performance is what we’ve grown our reputation on.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT We don’t often think about the multitude of uses rubber-based materials are applied to in the industrial and commercial sectors, but Josh Marston from Rubber Developments Ltd understands this amazing material and its potential better than most. Rubber Developments Ltd is a family-owned enterprise established in 1989 by Josh’s father Leigh. Leigh concentrates on the laboratory and scientific development work, while Josh and his brother Quinton are involved in sales and operations. The head office and processing facility is based in Hornby, Christchurch, and an allied business, manufacturing rubber rollers, is based in Auckland. The Rubber Developments team have plenty of work crossing their desk, fulfilling specialised orders for a seemingly endless array of customers. In terms of rubber, there are many different types of polymers used. Rubber Developments Ltd’s specialty is having a really diverse range, which are custom-compounded for very specific end uses. “We import all the individual components and then in-house, Leigh and Quinton formulate compounds for individual customer orders. We do specific formulations and a big part of it is problem solving, finding the right solutions to get the best-possible performance is what we’ve grown our reputation on.” Over the years, Rubber Developments Ltd has grown from creating rubber compounds, to full rubber product manufacturing capability. A considerable amount of work comes from the civil industries quarter, including pipe-joint manufacturing, and creating the compounds for an extremely wide variety of specialty seals. “For lots of industries where they have a product that demands a specific performance capability we come up with the solutions, “ says Josh. “Extruded products, such as tubing, weather strips, cord and many more custom profiles form a large part of our work.” Rubber Developments Ltd operates with specific divisions, beginning with the primary processing department where compounding and mixing of the rubber takes place on rolling mills. From there, the rubber is distributed to a particular part of the factory for further processing. These include compression and injection moulding machines, an extrusion department and calendared rubber, which gets used in the Auckland branch for rollers. One of the things Josh says is so exciting about working in rubber technology development is the array of really unusual projects that cross his desk. “We get enquiries from industries we didn’t even know existed so we get to see great innovation.” The laboratory is something the whole team is really very proud of, with state-of-the-art technologies, creating amazing rubber-based formulations. One interesting project Rubber Developments Ltd is involved with ongoing is for a company called Marine Flex, pioneers in Elastic Moorings and Aquaculture Float systems. “This has been a wonderful project to be involved with over a long period of time. Marine Flex build flexible anchoring systems that have minimal impact on the sea-bed in some amazing places around the world, including the first floating solar panel constructed in Israel. We supply the rubber cord used in their system and had to do quite a bit of development to get the physical properties that they required.” When a new formulation is sought by a customer, the chemists at Rubber Developments Ltd, create a custom rubber blend, which normally only takes a matter of days. From here, a small production run is manufactured, then the product is tested by the customer for the purposes it is intended for. Once this has happened, they provide feedback on its performance, so that any necessary changes to the products compound can be made before large-scale manufacture takes place. The team at Rubber Developments Ltd enjoys engaging with many clever customers. “We all find it very satisfying to create a rubber-based product that will exactly deliver what they need.” There are 24 staff working in Hornby and a further 13 at the Auckland facility. “We’ve been operating at this size for some time now,” says Josh. “We think, as the economy picks up in ensuing months, we’ll be in a position to look for more staff as demand for our services and products increases.” Proudly marking five years providing quality machined parts to local businesses. CNC | MILLING | TURNING Contact john@stoneleighcnc.co.nz to discuss your next project Dunedin, New Zealand
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