As we’ve been sharing with you in our blog posts, Dover Chemical is active in many facets of the chemical industry, and our participation in the recent annual meeting of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers is another example.
The STLE’s 69th annual meeting was held in Detroit, Michigan May 6-8. Highlighting Dover’s participation in the conference was John Nussbaumer’s paper on “Synergies of EP/Anti Wear Additives for Metalworking Fluids.” John discussed testing of additive synergies that resulted in increased tool life, lower overall cost and increased efficiency in the lubricant production process. The topic was well received by attendees.
Joining John from Dover Chemical at STLE were Brad Barth, Lou Bona, Mike Bonomo, Chuck Fletcher, Mark Harr, Tom Kelley, Damon Stevenson and Don Stevenson.
The changing regulatory status of chlorinated paraffins remains of great interest to those in the chemical industry, and was a consistent topic of discussion among attendees at STLE. Chlorinated paraffins are critical ingredients in extreme pressure lubricant additives used in metalworking fluid applications, and they remain a “workhorse” additive to the lubricant production process. An update of the global regulatory status of chlorinated paraffins is available on the Dover web site.
The Dover team at the STLE meeting shared with attendees that Dover Chemical is actively working with US regulators to resolve any unanswered questions about chlorinated paraffins.
The 2014 STLE annual meeting will take place next May in Florida – and Dover Chemical plans to be there!
Have you ever wondered why items made from plastic change color, lose their gloss, break open and age? In short, they weaken over time by interacting with oxygen.
As a result, improving the antioxidant properties of plastic is today’s version of “building a better mouse trap.” Antioxidants have been improving for greater use in the automotive industry in such areas as the heated engine compartment, increasingly in construction and building applications, and finally in the packaging industry.
Creating products that have better antioxidant properties is something Dover Chemical has been working on for a long time. That’s where products such as Dover Chemical’s Doverphos® LGP-11, come in.
Learn more about how Dover Chemical’s products are used in the plastic polymer industry in this article in Compounding World.
Dover Chemical Corporation announced a series of leadership changes designed to prepare the Company for future growth.
Jack L. Teat, Jr. has been appointed to the new position of Chief Operating Officer, reporting to the President. As COO, he will have overall responsibility for operations, including sales; research and development; and environmental, health, and safety. Jack has more than 30 years of experience in the chemical industry, including 22 years at the former Great Lakes Chemical Company. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from The University of North Carolina, a Masters in Management from Purdue University, and an MBA from Budapest University of Economic Science. Jack is a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers and the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association.
“During the last five years, Jack has demonstrated a capacity for strong organizational leadership and strategic execution in his roles as General Manager of Dover’s Hammond, IN, facility and as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing,” said Dover President Dwain S. Colvin. “We look to him to create and implement a long-term growth strategy to continue Dover’s success and prepare the Company for the future.”
To align Dover’s resources to best serve customers and embrace opportunities in 2013, Jack Teat announced the following changes:
Chuck Fletcher will report to the COO as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. His responsibilities will include commercial development and leadership of Dover’s business managers and global sales team. He will continue his direct management of Dover’s alkylphenols and stearates business. Chuck has served in several key positions including strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, and major customer activities since joining Dover in 2002. He has been a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers for 43 years.
Marc Nolen has been promoted to Business Manager, Polyolefins, reporting to the Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He most recently served as Product Manager for Dover’s patented antioxidant, Doverphos® S-9228 and had key account responsibility within the polyolefin industry. He will add management of Dover’s global TNPP business as well as new product introductions. His background includes R&D, sales, and manufacturing.
Damon Stevenson will assume the new responsibility of Global Sales Manager, reporting to the Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In this role, he will continue to manage Dover’s domestic sales team and distribution channels, and will add responsibility for the global sales team and management of the customer service group. He has served Dover in sales, product management, and sales management.
For me, working at Dover Chemical is about helping others, whether it’s ordering the parts they need to keep the plant running, answering questions on where to get things or organizing the annual employee golf outing.
I have worked at Dover Chemical for 14 years, with an even split of seven years in shipping/receiving and finished goods inventory control and seven years in procurement doing maintenance purchasing.
Outside of work, I am still involved with helping others, as president of the Personal & Family Counseling (PFCS) Auxiliary I help others organize two major events.
2013 will mark the 14th Annual Harbor House Golf Outing and the 4th Annual Masquerade ball. It gives me great pride to know the company I work for actively supports both of these events. Dover Chemical always sponsors at least a team to golf at this outing annually.
The annual golf outing is vital to ensuring that Harbor House has the resources to meet the needs of women and children in the Tuscarawas Valley who are survivors of domestic violence or are recovering from addiction.
In 2011 Harbor House provided more than 3090 nights of safe shelter and services to women and children in Tuscarawas and Carroll Counties. Funding from grants and government sources has decreased while the demand for services has increased, making this fundraiser, along with donations, extremely important in meeting the increasing needs of our community. The 2012 outing raised $14,818.00 for Harbor House.
The 2012 ball raised more than $12,000 to fund PFCS programs that are vital to supporting families and children in Tuscarawas County. The proceeds of last year’s Masquerade Ball allowed the domestic violence shelter to provide advocacy and support to victims of violence and assist them with court proceedings, accessing resources, and obtaining protection. The proceeds also assisted the halfway house in sheltering and providing treatment to 65 women struggling with substance dependence.
We are currently seeking sponsors and selling tickets for the 4th Annual Masquerade ball to be held at Union Country Club on January 19, 2013. Dover Chemical has also been a Purple Sponsor all for the last three balls, and is a sponsor for the upcoming ball.
More families are turning to PFCS for help than ever before, but resources to provide the services have decreased due to flat or reduced funding from government grants, foundations and other revenue sources.
If I am not busy with one of these events, you will find me at the soccer field supporting my husband, who coaches for New Philadelphia Youth Soccer Association.
We here at Dover Chemical are blessed to have many generous hearts at both our Dover, Ohio headquarters and at our Hammond, Indiana, facility.
In Hammond, 26 employees are participating in the 2013 United Way campaign, contributing $5,790, an increase of $324 over last year. With Dover’s company match, the United Way will receive $7,917.00 in the coming year.
The Lake Area United Way supports many organizations in the area including the Red Cross of Northwest Indiana, the Salvation Army, Boys & Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts, the Center for Possibilities, Catholic Family and Social Services, Deaf Services, Greater Hammond Community Services and the YMCA of Hammond, just to name a few.
Hammond employees also shared holiday cheer with the community by donating frozen turkeys to the local food pantry, children’s home and women’s shelter over the past several weeks.
At our Dover, Ohio headquarters, employees increased their contributions to the United Way by $1,000, and the company match increased by $265. To encourage participation, Dover Chemical created a drawing for a big screen television and a $50 gas card for those who pledged $2 per day or more. Karla Sandler won the big screen television and Ron Kandel won the $50 gas card.
Dover employees, through their Tuscarawas County United Way contributions, support such organizations as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Harbor House domestic violence shelter, the Red Cross and Personal and Family Counseling.
In addition to their company-wide giving program for United Way, employees at our Dover headquarters also raised $430 to purchase Christmas gifts for seven children who found themselves in the Friends of the Homeless shelter here in Tuscarawas County over the holidays. The children ranged in age from one year old to 15, and their holiday was made a little brighter by the generosity of our team members. We send a big thank you to Kari Long and Marc Nolen for spearheading this worthwhile project.
As we approach the Christmas holiday, here is hoping that you too find generosity in spirit – either as a recipient of the kindness of others or as one who shares your own generosity with others. Merry Christmas!
As you know, Dover Chemical is a leading producer of alkylphenols, chlorinated paraffins, polymer additives, liquid and solid antioxidants (including organophosphites), flame-retardants, and additives for water-based and oil-based metalworking fluids. We continue to develop new and innovative products on a daily basis here in Dover, Ohio and in our Hammond, Indiana, facility.
For many of our products, receiving federal and international approval is an important step in not only ensuring the safety of our chemical formulations, but also in the marketing and sales of our products to manufacturers. For products that will be incorporated into items that come into contact with food, that means our chemical formulation must receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration and its international counterparts.
Our new antioxidant, Doverphos® LGP-11, was granted limited FDA clearance earlier this year for use in all LLDPE and block copolymer applications that will result in products that come in contact with food. Once full FDA approval is granted, Doverphos® LGP-11 will be used by resin manufacturers to produce such items as food wraps and covers, food containers and pipes. Doverphos® LGP-11 is in compliance with REACH regulations and approved for use in Europe.
With limited FDA clearance, there can now be trials in plants to work with Doverphos® LGP-11. This product is being evaluated for its improved color performance in numerous applications including cast film and blown film.
Dover expects to receive full FDA approval for use in all polymers in 2013.
We’re now working on global approvals with the FDA’s counterpart agencies in countries around the world.
Members of the Dover Chemical team recently attended the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association’s Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. Our president, Dwain Colvin, as well as our global business manager Lou Bona and our US sales manager Damon Stevenson all participated in this important industry conference.
The theme for this year’s meeting was “Living In Global Harmony.” The meeting brought together 950 independent lubricant manufacturers who produce more than 25 percent of all lubricants and 80 percent of all metalworking fluids and other specialty industrial lubricants in North America, as well as key suppliers marketers of the lubricant manufacturing industry.
As the theme suggests, the meeting included topics that could help attendees as much as possible to make their companies “green.” One seminar taught attendees Global Harmonization System, or GHS, for hazard communication.
Dwain and Lou both reported that attitudes among attendees at this conference were very positive, and that the outlook for the industry appears to be equal to, or better than the success the industry is seeing in 2012. Even the number of people attending the conference was a positive sign, which was the largest number seen by the ILMA since 1999.
During the meeting, one topic among attendees was the regulatory status of chlorinated paraffins. Chlorinated paraffins are critical ingredients in extreme pressure lubricant additives in metalworking fluid applications. Dover is actively working with regulators to resolve any unanswered concerns and this message was conveyed to the attendees.
Conference attendees also expressed interest in Dover’s complimentary line of additives that can be used in place of chlorinated paraffins for some applications. Our Dover team shared with ILMA members information about the performance of these products.
In addition to observing ILMA members’ overall positive outlook and interest in our products, the team also received positive feedback on ILMA members’ experiences working with us. Among their comments were the ease of doing business with Dover Chemical and the great service they receive from our customer service team.
Participating in industry meetings like the ILMA are an important way for the leadership at Dover Chemical to keep abreast of industry trends and the regulatory environment that impact our suppliers, our customers and our employees. Watch for additional news in the future about our participation in industry meetings and trade shows.
On November 26, 2012, OSHA issued citations to Dover Chemical Corporation after conducting a three-month inspection of the company’s Dover, Ohio facility. OSHA, among other things, is requiring Dover to provide process information about its piping and operating procedures as part of Dover’s abatement actions. OSHA is also requiring Dover to complete action items from its regular safety audits and hazards analysis more quickly. Dover has been conducting internal safety audits and working with outside experts for several years to insure that the processes conducted at its facilities are safe. Prior to receiving these citations, Dover had already resolved many action items identified during its most recent safety inspections, has already abated some items contained in the citations, and is in the process of addressing other safety-related issues.
Dover has requested an informal meeting with OSHA representatives to discuss the citations, and has 15 days to contest some or all of them. OSHA’s citations do not contain any finding that Dover’s employees or the surrounding community face imminent risk of injury. No emergency measures were requested by OSHA.
Dover fully cooperated with OSHA during this recent inspection and produced hundreds of documents concerning its safety programs, processes, and components. Dover will continue to cooperate with OSHA. It will address these citations consistent with its commitment to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, and to sound safety practices.