Davis-Standard Honors Seven Retirees Representing 250 Years of Combined Service

Essential to Davis-Standard’s success has been the quality and longevity of the local talent employed there. Ever since Davis-Standard started building extruders at the Pawcatuck location in 1948, employees from the greater Westerly-Pawcatuck area have been fundamental to the company becoming a global leader in extrusion technology. Davis-Standard was honored to celebrate seven retirees this year, representing more than 250 years of combined service, at a luncheon held last month. Following is a listing of each employee, their hometown, number of years at Davis-Standard, and a quote by their immediate supervisor.

 

 

 

Bob Shafer, Stonington, 50 years – “Bob has been a dedicated employee who came in every day ready to get the job done. He was our go-to guy for all panels and controls systems.” – John Paride, assembly supervisor

Ernie Rathbun, Westerly, 47 years – “Very diligent employee and a great guy who worked extra hours whenever asked. Ernie was critical to our machining team with a wealth of knowledge, most notably in barrel machining.” – Kevin O’Leary, machining supervisor

Ralph Caddick, Westerly, 45 years – “He was always willing to work with other employees in assisting us with training and quality assurance. ‘Chuck’ took pride in making sure our feedscrews were the quality customers expected.” – Neil Violette, supervisor

Dwight Kuhl, Westerly, 32 years – “Dewy has been a reliable employee we could always count on, giving his best effort every day. He could change jobs with ease, doing every aspect of machine assembly. He could do wire, pipe, hydraulics, assembly; whatever was needed.” – Dan Hartley, assembly supervisor

Bob Thomson, Groton, 32 years – “Bob has been someone we can depend on with all aspects of quality inspection. He has always worn black Harley Davidson t-shirts to work, and is known as ‘Harley Bob’ to all of us.” – Brenna Johnson, quality inspection supervisor

Steve Allen, Charlestown, 31 years – “Steve is a hard worker who is willing to help anyone. His knowledge in building and rebuilding a variety of Davis-Standard brand extruders made him extremely valuable to our aftermarket team.” – Larry Bowen, assembly supervisor

Jeff Tattersall, Pawcatuck, 16 years – “Jeff always has a smile on his face and was ready and willing to help train others within our assembly area. He went above and beyond and got along with everyone.” – John Paride, supervisor

“It is always a bittersweet day when we celebrate the retirement of such outstanding employees and people,” said Jim Murphy, Davis-Standard President and CEO. “We are happy for them, but at the same time, will miss seeing them every day and the positive attributes they brought to our team. On behalf of Davis-Standard, I thank them for their valuable contributions to our company and wish them well in retirement. They have certainly earned it!”

Jim Chura Joins Davis-Standard’s Aftermarket Team

Davis-Standard is pleased to announce that James “Jim” Chura has been hired as an aftermarket sales engineer to support Davis-Standard’s converting customers in the Southeast U.S. and Mexico. Chura brings 14 years of industry knowledge to his new role having held various sales and management positions, most recently as a regional sales account manager for ABB of Raleigh, N.C. This includes broad experience supporting customers in the paper, converting and packaging markets. He will be responsible for driving aftermarket sales, addressing technical aspects of customer inquiries and quotations, and providing after-sale assistance to customers.

“Jim understands the converting industry and the needs of our customers in the Southeast U.S.,” said Andrew Alaya, Davis-Standard Vice President of Aftermarket Sales. “He has an excellent understanding of customer needs and available converting technologies and upgrades. This aligns well with our goal of using aftermarket services to help our customers get the most from their equipment investment while improving profitability and product quality.”

Chura is a member of TAPPI (the Technical Association for the Pulp, Paper and Converting Industry), and is TAPPISAFE certified. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Poly Vinyl’s Custom Extrusion Legacy Flourishes with Davis-Standard Extruders and Service

Mark Schnettler with the recent rebuild of a 3.5-inch (90mm) Davis-Standard extruder

As a family-owned business spanning three generations and 60 years, Poly Vinyl Co. of Sheboygan Falls, Wisc., thrives in the custom extrusion segment. Instrumental to their success is Davis-Standard extrusion technology and ongoing aftermarket collaboration that supports a diverse product range. Poly Vinyl Co. employs standard, co-extrusion and tri-extrusion processes to produce custom profiles for multiple industries, including large appliance, commercial refrigeration, building products and several OEM’s. Not only has Poly Vinyl Co. turned to Davis-Standard for nearly every extruder over the years, but they have taken advantage of upgrade and rebuild services to enhance processing options and extruder performance.

“My father, James Schnettler, has been working with Davis-Standard extruders for over 43 years. Matching products and profiles to the right extruder has always been a point of pride for us,” explained Mark Schnettler, Poly Vinyl’s President. “It’s nice to buy brand new machines, but that isn’t always necessary. This is especially true with Davis-Standard because their gearcases are designed to run thousands of hours. If the gearing is set up properly and the right feedscrews are used, you’re going to have positive long-term results. We also have an excellent maintenance program and make appropriate upgrades and changes based on materials.”

Poly Vinyl Co. runs several Davis-Standard co-extruders for its dual-durometer processes ranging from 1.25 to 1.5 inches (32 to 38mm) as well as 28 main extrusion lines, all equipped with Davis-Standard extruders and feedscrews. These extruders range from 2 inch (50mm) 24:1 single screw models to GC-65 conical twin-screw designs and are engineered to process polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, polycarbonate, and ABS; among others. Over the past 10 years, Poly Vinyl Co. has worked with Davis-Standard on five major rebuilds to boost processing capabilities. These include conical twin-screw extruder upgrades as well as a recent rebuild of a 3.5-inch (90mm) Davis-Standard extruder, purchased via the used market, which was completed in less than 12 weeks. In all cases, Poly Vinyl Co. has been pleased with turn-around time and processing results, which have added value to customer products. Schnettler credits the attention to detail by Davis-Standard’s aftermarket department and their collective working relationship with his team at Poly Vinyl Co.

“Joe Guigli and his team have really helped us with our extruder knowledge, maintenance procedures, and in getting the most out of our machines,” said Schnettler. “Davis-Standard is very timely in their response, which has been especially helpful during COVID. They are also great at record-keeping, which helps us work through any challenges.”

In addition to outstanding equipment capabilities, Schnettler says Poly Vinyl’s employee-driven culture, sales focus and operations execution has been paramount to their competitive advantage.

“The fact that we are a multi-generational family-owned business with 130 talented employees makes us unique. As we look to expand, we will continue to carry out the good work that our customers expect while enjoying the journey along the way.”

For more information about Poly Vinyl products, visit polyvinyl.com.