FROM THE DIRECTOR The Final Exam

Life is somewhat ironic. As we grow up, it seems through our educational experience that we are always preparing for “the final exam.” Whether it be in high school, college or a special training experience, first we are taught, then we study and then we take the exam. We then measure our results by whether we pass or fail the final exam and not by the lessons we learn along the way. But in life, and most certainly in business, it’s so often reversed! The final exam usually happens before the lesson! In fact, it was once said that “the trouble with using experience as a guide is that the final exam often comes first and then the lesson.”

I reveal this concept because of my belief; my belief that all trade associations must work on behalf of their members to provide “lessons” before the final exams take place. This may sound a little unorthodox, but if you begin to examine the activities and menu of benefits that ARPM offers to its members, one can see a hint of the strategic thinking that was used to form the foundation of the organization. It was the goal and vision of ARPM’s founding fathers to collectively unite the experiences and lessons learned of the professionals leading each member company. As exhibited on ARPM’s website, there is a special location for individuals to identify their strengths (their experiences; their accumulation of lessons learned) so that others may tap into the knowledge base before the real world throws them a real exam or final test.

ARPM is unveiling its newly created ARPM Training Academy. The foundation for the ARPM Training Academy lies within ARPM’s industry-leading best practice documents, ARPM technical guidance documents and ARPM’s The Rubber Handbook. Our instructors are veteran experts in their fields, boasting over 140 years of combined experience in the rubber manufacturing industry so that we may successfully provide our members with the “lessons” before the final exam.

The ARPM Training Academy is a dynamic technical training resource that teaches fundamentals and advanced topics for the rubber industry. The ARPM Training Academy provides training for the entire workforce, and improves the knowledge base from the entry-level machine operator to the highly-skilled engineering professional. Our newly created in-person training provides in-depth principles of design not available anywhere else in the rubber industry or academia. This in-person training is tailored to Design, Quality, Sales, Product and Process Engineers.

Seals Product Design and Manufacturing – June 5-9, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio

● One-week intensive course provides comprehensive and consistent training in rubber science, product seal design (for static and dynamic sealings) and producibility.

Belts Product Design and Manufacturing – Coming Soon

Hose Product Design and Manufacturing – Coming Soon

In essence, those professionals selecting to invest the time to attend ARPM’s Training Academy are ensuring they are prepared long before their final exams are placed in front of them!

I look forward to seeing you in Columbus, Ohio in June for the inaugural in-person class of the training academy –Seals Product Design and Manufacturing. Register today at www.arpminc.com! n

6 Success Leaders Drive Success by Asking the Right Questions

By Jim

LeGacy,

vice president of sales and marketing, Titus Precision

12 Leadership

ARPM Leaders Reflect on the Bigger

Picture: The Building Leaders of Character Program

By Lindsey

Munson,

editor, Inside Rubber

16 Technical Standards Machine Lead and the Failure of Radial Lip Seals

By Greg Vassmer, technical coordinator,

20 Operations

Weighing the ROI of Machinery

Capital Expenditures

By Liz Stevens, writer, Insider Rubber 24

By Erick Sharp, CEO and founder, ACE Laboratories

ARPM

By Liz Stevens, writer, Insider Rubber

ARPM Team

Executive Director Troy Nix – tnix@arpminc.org

Managing Director Letha Keslar – lkeslar@arpminc.org

Marketing Director Marcella Kates – mkates@arpminc.org

Analytics Tony Robinson – trobinson@arpminc.org

Director of Publications Susan Denzio – sdenzio@arpminc.org

Membership & Events Director Kaitlyn Krol – kkrol@arpminc.org

By Susan Denzio, director

ARPM Officers and Board of Directors

President

Travis Turek, Bruckman Rubber Corporation

Vice President

James Wideman, MBL (USA) Corporation

Treasurer

By Jake Mazulewicz, Ph.D.

Marel Riley-Ryman, Southern Michigan Rubber

Secretary

Joe Keglewitsch, Ice Miller LLP

ARPM Board of Directors

Rich Balka, Home Rubber Company

Bill Bernardo, Ebco, Inc.

Kirk Bowman, The Timken Company

Russ Burgert, Maplan Rubber Machinery

Aaron Clark, Danfoss

Joe Colletti, Marsh Bellofram

Randy Dobbs, Sperry & Rice

Ryan Fleming, Freudenberg-Nok Sealing Technologies

Doug Gilg, Continental ContiTech

Diya Garware Ibanez, Fulflex, Inc.

Seth Johnson, Zochem LLC

Donovan Lonsway, BRP

Jon Meigan, Lake Erie Rubber & Manufacturing

Mike Rainey, HBD Industries Inc.

Mike Recchio, Zeon Chemicals L.P.

Brandon Robards, Ace Extrusion

Vice President, Editorial: Dianna Brodine

Editor: Lindsey Munson

Vice President, Design: Becky Arensdorf

Graphic Designer: Hailey Mann

Published by: 2150 SW Westport Dr., Suite 101 Topeka, KS 66614 Phone: 785.271.5801