JYCO CONTINUES GLOBAL EXPANSION WITH
JV FOR EUROPEAN TPV SEAL PRODUCTION

(8/05)

Jyco Sealing Technologies has announced a joint venture with Noël Group, LLC, to establish a major TPV automotive sealing production facility in Europe.

The Jyco Europe subsidiary will be located in the Wallonia region of Belgium. Full-scale production for several parts, including glass run channel for a new family vehicle model, is scheduled to begin next summer. The facility will include three fully automated extrusion lines, injection molding capabilities, and a full service lab that the group plans to audit for certification in advance of production.

The European joint venture continues Jyco’s aggressive global expansion plans for producing thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) sealing systems. Earlier this year, the tier-one supplier announced a similar affiliation with Inoac Corporation, Japan, to construct a manufacturing plant in Shanghai, China. The Inoac Jyco Japan/China (IJJ/IJC) joint venture marked the automotive industry’s first global alliance for producing TPV parts.

“ We had a two-year plan in place for entering the European market,” said Sam Jyawook, President and CEO of Jyco. “At the request of a North American customer, we moved up the timetable in order participate in one of their new model programs in Europe. Everything else quickly fell into place. Belgium’s location and multi-cultural environment make Jyco Europe well positioned to service customers across the continent.”

The Jyco Europe plant will expand upon Noël Group infrastructure of an existing Belgian facility in order to accelerate construction.

Founded in 2000, Jyco pioneered process and design innovations that quickly made the Michigan-based company a leader in TPV automotive sealing system technology. They currently manufacture over 100 automotive parts at their Sherbrooke, Quebec plant alone, and are in the process of doubling that facility’s capability.

Noël Group, LLC, a privately owned, American industrial holding firm, manages several manufacturing companies that specialize in the transformation of engineered synthetic materials. The group is headquartered in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

 

JYCO, INOAC SEAL TPV’S FIRST GLOBAL ALLIANCE

(1/05)

Jyco Sealing Technologies has entered into a joint venture with Inoac Corporation, Japan, in the automotive industry’s first global alliance for producing thermoplastic vulcanizate sealing systems.

Jyco, which specializes in TPV sealing systems, will provide process technology and design services. Inoac will direct the manufacture of existing Jyco sealing systems, including glass run channel, in a new Shanghai plant now under construction. Production will be conducted under the subsidiary name of IJC. The JV’s management unit has been incorporated as IJJ.

The alliance reflects the fast-growing importance of TPV in the global automotive industry,” noted Sam Jyawook, president and CEO of Jyco. “It gives Jyco an immediate presence in the Asian market. And by starting with parts already in production in North America, the joint venture quickly brings Inoac to the forefront of TPV sealing technology.”

Jyco pioneered process and design innovations that quickly made the Michigan-based company a leader in TPV automotive sealing system technology. They currently manufacture over 100 automotive parts at their Sherbrooke, Quebec production plant, and are in the process of doubling that facility’s capability. “

The environmental benefits of TPV processing are especially important to Inoac,” notes Jyawook. “The superior performance and lighter weight are attractive advantages to everyone, but the increased safety and 100% recyclability of TPV is a perfect fit with Inoac’s commitment to designing materials and products in ways that also protect the environment.”

The $2.6 billion Inoac Group spans over 90 companies in 13 countries. The company produces a wide variety of elastomeric parts and products for the automotive, construction, electronics, cosmetics, furniture and other consumer products industries.

 

Jyco: Sealing RVs’ Future

New TPV seals deliver higher performance, lower costs

(4/03)

There’s a revolution underway in vehicle sealing technology, and the RV industry has a comfortable place on the front line.

The transition is riding on a relatively new sealing compound called TPV (thermoplastic vulcanizates), which is used to seal windows, hoods, doors, panels, luggage doors and other applications. This material, which is a compound of EPDM and polypropylene, performs like traditional EPDM seals, even better in many applications, yet it processes with the ease of plastic, making it ideal for low-volume, fast-turnaround needs of RV manufacturers.

TPV’s advantages include performance enhancements, cost and weight reductions, and accelerated cycle times. Unlike EPDM, TPV can be pigmented for color coordination with doors and body panels. It offers safety and environmental advantages as well; TPVs are processed with non-hazardous and non-flammable blowing agents, and scrap is 100% recyclable.

The company that’s leading the TPV sealing revolution – Jyco Sealing Technologies – has already made an aggressive commitment to the RV industry.

Jyco was founded in 2001 by Sam Jyawook, a well-known figure in automotive sealing technology. During the previous two decades, Jyawook pioneered finite element modeling in sealing applications, multi-durometer extruding, glass encapsulation, robotic assembly and other innovations.

Jyco works exclusively with TPV. As a new company, they sidestepped the financially-daunting hurdle that most old-line sealing suppliers are facing in converting their multi-million dollar EPDM extruding lines to handle TPV.

Jyco’s relationship with the RV industry began with a phone call from a RV manufacturer who had read a trade article about Jyco. The caller had worked previously with one of the rubber companies, and understood the potential of TPV. He had been frustrated with the challenges getting competitive pricing and service from suppliers primarily dedicated to the high volume needs of automotive OEMs. To say that Jyco was responsive to his call is an understatement; within two months of the phone call, Jyco had performed a computer-generated finite element analysis of the current seal section to optimize the profile, designed a new profile based on the FEA, completed tooling and began shipping product to the manufacturer.

With the first RV program underway, Jyawook decided to make a one-week tour of the West Coast. He met with a dozen RV manufacturers, from industry leaders to small shops, from Los Angeles to Seattle. He returned to Jyco headquarters in Michigan with commitments from several OEMs to convert their EPDM seals to TPV, and realize the same technology and cost benefits as the automotive OEMs who are transitioning to TPV. Unlike EPDM, TPV is manufactured in a mechanical, one-step process. Curing time is minimal, and scrap is recycled. Couple these process advantages with excellent performance gains and Jyco’s passion for innovation, and it’s a sealed deal. TPV from Jyco is definitely a concept that the RV industry can run with.

 

JYCO AWARDED COMPREHENSIVE QUALITY REGISTRATIONS FOR TPV SEALING DEVELOPMENT

(7/02)

Jyco Sealing Technologies, Dexter, Michigan, has been awarded ISO 9001 and QS-9000 registrations for the design, development, testing and manufacturing of TPV automotive sealing systems.

Dexter, Michigan     Jyco Sealing Technologies has been awarded comprehensive ISO 9001 and QS-9000 registrations for the development of TPV automotive sealing systems. The registrations include design, development, testing and manufacturing for the company’s headquarters and technical center in Dexter, Michigan, design operations in Royal Oak, Michigan, and manufacturing center in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

The assessment was performed by Perry Johnson Registrars, Inc., Southfield, Michigan. Certification was issued on June 7, 2002.

Jyco, which was founded in 2000, has capitalized on the growing demand among OEMs for thermoplastic vulcanizate sealing systems. TPV’s advantages over traditional EPDM systems include processing efficiencies, reduced mass and 100% recyclable scrap.