Carboline Restructures, Breaks Ground On New Facility
RPM’s Performance Coatings Group, of which Carboline is a subsidiary, has announced a change to its North American and Latin American strategy. As of June 1, all of North America and Latin America will report to the corporate headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., under Chris Tiernay, president and chief operators officer.
Previously, the Canadian and Latin American Carboline businesses operated independently under separate management teams.
This consolidation allows for better brand consistency, streamlined communication and more efficient use of resources. Customers can expect to see a more united Carboline in North America and Latin America, with a great team ready to fully support customers seamlessly across borders, the company said.
“We welcome Canada, Mexico and Colombia to Carboline and look forward to developing one North American-Latin American team,” said Teirnay. “In recent years, more and more of our customers are doing business north and south of the United States. This new structure will allow us to provide the high level of service Carboline is known for from Canada to Colombia.”
Groundbreaking
Last month, Carboline broke ground on a state-of-the-art full-scale passive fire protection testing facility at its Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) Center.
This $4 million investment is scheduled to be complete by the end of the 2018 calendar year.
The new space will be the first manufacturer-owned, UL-approved fire testing facility in North America. Carboline will now be able to test products on its own timeline and not rely on an outside testing agency’s schedules.
Carboline’s current fire lab was built in the 1970s, and although it has been upgraded and improved over the years, this project represents a total redesign and rebuild of its capabilities. Carboline felt the upgrade and expansion were necessary to address new developments in the industry.
“Our new testing facility will increase our speed to market for new fireproofing products, give us the ability to receive approvals for alternate raw materials, and fulfill testing requirements for ever-changing codes and regulations,” said Jim Rippe, executive vice president-fireproofing/engineering sales.
