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Family run business: Monmouth Rubber & Plastics Corp.

Family run business: Monmouth Rubber & Plastics Corp.

By RUBBER & PLASTICS NEWS REPORT

John M. Bonforte Sr. and John Bonforte Jr. hold a certificate at the Gasket Fabricators Association’s Gasketing and Converting Expo, held recently in Orlando, Fla.

Founder: John M. Bonforte Sr.

Headquarters: Long Branch, N.J.

Number of employees: 53.

Key family members active in the company: John M. Bonforte Jr., president, chief operating officer.

What it does: Monmouth Rubber & Plastics is a U.S. manufacturer of closed cell sponge rubber and plastic foam.

Markets served: Automotive, medical, sports, construction, electrical, miscellaneous industrial.

Number of generations involved in the business:Two.

What are the strengths of a family owned business? Family values. Our family values guide us in our business operations: How we treat each other, our employees and our customers. We bring to work the Bonforte family values and apply them to all aspects of our business.

What are the challenges of a family owned business? John Jr. is our succession plan. He now owns Monmouth Rubber & Plastics. He grew up in the business. After college, he worked for GE Plastics, learned the realities of the world, and then he came back ready to assume his current role. His having complete ownership resolves many possible issues. I advise; he decides.

Do non-family members hold any executive or ownership roles? Joann Buonomo is the office manager (who has) 42 years with Monmouth. Putting family values to the front is important. All issues are worked out just fine.

How much does the younger generation influence decisions? All four of my children and many of my grandchildren do and have worked at various tasks in the company. They bring vitality and a fresh approach, which helps us to stay focused on the people aspects of business.

Something you might not know about the company: When Monmouth started, there were 13 companies that manufactured closed cell sponge rubber buns. When I said I was going to go into manufacturing the above products, many said I was crazy. They said, “All 13 companies are struggling with quality, etc.” My answer was, “You can be crazy and still have a good idea.’ Today there are three of us left in the U.S. We are doing just fine.”

What advice would you offer a young entrepreneur who wants to start a family run business? Follow your dreams. Stick to it. If you feel it in your heart, run with it. Don’t give up. Be prepared to dream in the sky with your feet planted firmly on the ground.

And another thing: As a U.S. manufacturer of closed cell buns, Monmouth offers all the things that the government is trying to do to bring business back. The firm believes its business model works, products proudly made in the U.S.

WEBSITE: https://monmouthrubber.com/

Bondaflex Saves Over 27 Million Pounds Of The Earth’s Resources

TECHNICAL REPORT:

Bondaflex Saves Over 27 Million Pounds Of The Earth’s Resources.

For each pound of Bondaflex product one pound of carbon dioxide is saved and .1 pounds of oil is saved.

For the past 27 years, the Bondaflex process has eliminated the need for over 27 million pounds of organic industrial production in the form of oil and natural gas, as well as a multitude of chemicals used in the rubber industry. Our landfills have been spared the dumping of 35 million pounds of scrap rubber over the past 27 years.

GLOBAL WARMING

Bondaflex - NJ Neoprene Sponge & Foam Manufacturer Stays True to Green Commitment, Does More With Less - Monmouth Rubber & Plastics Corp, 75 Long Branch Avenue Long Branch, NJ 07740 U.S.A | 1-888-362-6888

With its Bondaflex process Monmouth has been doing its part to lower greenhouse gases for over 27 years. Industry has continued to increase its participation as responsible environmental stewards of the earth’s environment. Government regulations and industrial requirements will continue to drive new and improved ways of recycling the waste stream on the planet.

Monmouth’s commitment to continuous improvement of the environmental impact that industry has on the planet is second to none. Monmouth’s Bondaflex process is eco-efficient.

“0” EMISSIONS FOR OUR PLANET –
THE MONMOUTH GUARANTEE 

Bondaflex has reduced the need for over one million pounds of new rubber production per year at the Long Branch factory due to the use of Bondaflex for gasketing applications where virgin rubber would have been used.


If you would like more information about the items in technical report please contact:

JOHN M. BONFORTE SR
Technical Director
Email John Sr.

A family of materials; A world of solutions provided by Monmouth Rubber & Plastics!

Monmouth Rubber & Plastics Corp. has been a leader in the innovation and technology of cellular polymeric materials for over 54 years.

As a recognized leader and innovator of proprietary closed cell cross linking technology and polymer blend technology, Monmouth was retained to do product development and improvement by a variety of companies. Some of these companies, in chronological order, are:

B.F. Goodrich, Sponge Products Div. – Shelton, CT
Neoprene/Vinyl Nitrile Blends

Uniroyal Chemical, Ensolite Div. – Mishawaka, IN
IV-1 IV-5 Series – Neoprene/Vinyl Nitrile Blends – Ensofoam Crosslinked EVA Blends

Plymouth Rubber, Plymouth, MA
Crosslinked Low Density EVA Blends

Sentinel Products Corp. – Hyannis, MA
Polyolefin Blends, all types including Metallocene Resin Crosslinked Foam

Monmouth Rubber & Plastics Corp.’s in-house technology timeline is as follows:

1968 – Monmouth develops and perfects the Durafoam™ multi-step process for the curing and blowing of low-density closed cell materials. Prior to 1968, most materials were cured with the one step or jump-blow process which resulted in densities no lower than 12 pounds per cubic foot. By using a controlled multi-step-cure blow process, Monmouth was able to crosslink and blow materials in densities down to 2 pounds per cubic foot. Monmouth has made significant improvements to this Durafoam™ multi-step process over the years as polymers, products and customer needs have changed.

1969 – Monmouth develops for B.F. Goodrich, Shelton CT, a low density, Vinyl/Nitrile/Neoprene blend for industrial and automotive markets. Monmouth’s proprietary technology in hydrocarbon polymer blending has been the keystone in its technology firsts. The product line developed for B.F. Goodrich in 1969 is the forerunner of the Vinyl/Nitrile/Neoprene blends produced today by Rubatex®, Uniroyal Ensolite and Halstead.

1971 – Monmouth develops the first commercial, low density, Neoprene/SBR blend for the industrial and automotive markets. Listed under ASTM-D-1056, SCE41 through SCE45, Monmouth produced and sold commercial blends of its Durafoam™ C121A series in densities as low as 3.5 pounds per cubic foot.

1974 – Monmouth commercializes the world’s first 100% EPDM, low density, closed cell sponge. Proprietary Durafoam™ technology allowed Monmouth to produce the C191XLDS in densities as low as to 2.0 pounds per cubic foot. One outstanding, commercially successful application for this technology was as a sealing gasket for all Chrysler tail lamps. Durafoam™ C191XLDS was used exclusively during the 1980’s in all Chrysler vehicles. Monmouth is currently listed as an approved source under Chrysler MSAY 430.

1977 – Monmouth provides some of the initial EVA Polyethylene crosslinked foam technology and developmental work for the Ensolite Division of Uniroyal. The product was ultimately marketed by Uniroyal under the trade name “Ensofoam”. This developmental work included pilot plant production at our Long Branch facility as well as product development.

1986 – Monmouth introduces its Bondaflex™ line of recycled cellular and solid rubber and plastic materials. Monmouth’s technology centers around its proprietary process for controlled particle size distribution of similar and dissimilar materials. Since 1998, the Bondaflex™ process has resulted in Monmouth being able to recycle in-house 98% of all the materials it manufactures.

The Bondaflex™ process also allows Monmouth to guarantee to its customers that Monmouth will accept back at its Long Branch facility 100% of the material that Monmouth supplies. This includes skids, banding wire, stretch wrap, as well as the cellular and solid material that Monmouth makes and sells. Monmouth knows of no other manufacturer that offers such a guarantee.

August 1996
– Monmouth commercializes its Durafoam™ DK series of Kinetically Grafted Blends. KGB blend technology allows dissimilar polymers (those that do not blend well mechanically) to blend as a result of a chemical bond that develops through proprietary KGB technology. The DK benefit to the customer is a blend product with superior performance and value as opposed to more expensive, homogenous polymers. The DK series of closed cell Neoprene/EPDM blends covers the five hardness ranges of ASTM and have UL listing for flame resistance and gasketing applications.

January 1998 – Monmouth is the first to introduce a 54″ and 60″ wide pressed cured bun in a neoprene blend. The Durafoam™ process results in a press cured bun having an exceptionally large size, a tight cell structure, and superior physical properties as compared to a continuously cured roll by the open air process.

The above technology events allow Monmouth to offer to its customers the following commitment:
“To become and remain the highest quality producer of cellular rubber and plastic buns in the world”.

Other Monmouth products include:

AIRAFLEX™ – Open Cell Sponge Rubber & Plastic Foam
DURAFLEX™ – Solid Rubber & Plastic Sheeting

The Monmouth family of materials has performed well for over 40 years for sound absorption, shock absorption, conductive, non-conductive, fire retardant, high strength to weight ratio, hot and cold insulation, and floatation.

The Monmouth family of materials is made from Neoprene, Natural Rubber, SBR, Butyl, Butadiene, Nitrile, EPDM, ECH, Polystyrene, Polyethylene, Polypropylene, EVA, EMA, Mettalocene Resin, PVC, Polyurethane, and Proprietary Blends of the above.

The Monmouth family of materials is offered in Buns, Sheets, Rolls, Stripping, with and without pressure sensitive adhesive, and specialty laminations.

The Monmouth family of materials is used in the automotive, athletic, shoe, construction, leisure products, and miscellaneous industrial products industries. Monmouth is a global supplier with distribution points in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

Monmouth Rubber & Plastics

The Monmouth family of materials is sold through Gasket Cutters, Fabricators, and Resellers Worldwide.

Free Technical Support

Monmouth Rubber & Plastics has a comprehensive state-of-the-art physical testing laboratory, including shock attenuation testing equipment. Monmouth is equipped to test and certify to a multitude of industry and government specifications. Some of these specifications are: ASTM-D-1056, SAE J18, MSAY 430, GM6086M, Mil-R-6130, Mil-C-3133, Mil-R-6855, Mil-G-1149, Delphi SD2-207 Sec. 6.1. Product development, product testing, product evaluation, and product sampling are offered by Monmouth as part of its technical support program.

JOHN BONFORTE, SR.
TECH SUPPORT & GM

EXT. 12
Intl: +1 732-229-3444
Toll Free: (800) 375-1960

EMAIL JOHN BONFORTE SR.

 


Related Topics and Resources:  Rubber and Plastics  |  Closed Cell Gaskets  |  Rubber Library

New Owner Takes Control of Monmouth Rubber & Plastics Corp.

Monmouth Rubber & Plastics Corporation’s new owner succession plan

LONG BRANCH, NJ – The final phase of Monmouth Rubber & Plastics Corporation’s succession plan was completed January 1 with John M. Bonforte Jr’s assumption of the roles of president and COO of the sponge rubber and plastic foam manufacturer.

Formerly Monmouth’s sales manager, Bonforte took over the company’s day-to-day operations in early 2010. He had begun his Monmouth career as a high school student, working the second shift after school and during summer breaks. Bonforte became the company’s sales manager in 2004, with responsibilities for sales, quality and customer service.

“A carefully devised and well-executed succession plan ensures the longevity of any company,” Bonforte said. “And longevity is a major key to corporate success.”

The change of ownership coincides with Monmouth’s increasing significantly its production capacity.

“Monmouth already is a leader in the manufacturing of closed cell sponge rubber and plastic foam. The increased capacity will further solidify Monmouth’s leadership position in the market,” Bonforte said.

Extensive technical expertise

“The other critical element in our continued success is our technical support,” company founder John M. Bonforte Sr. said. “As other closed cell sponge rubber and plastic foam manufacturers shut down, a significant need persists for the kind of extensive technical expertise and knowledge that only we have.

“Our technical support is second to none – and available to anyone with a serious interest in our industry,” said John Sr., who will remain with Monmouth as general manager and technical director.

Monmouth Rubber & Plastics

Monmouth Rubber & Plastics Corp. successfully completed their ISO 9001:2008 surveillance audit.

ISO 9001:2008

Long Branch, NJ — Monmouth Rubber & Plastics Corp. announced today they have successfully completed their ISO 9001:2008 surveillance audit. The overall evaluation of the audit was positive with several opportunities to improve the system with the main purpose of customer satisfaction.

ISO 9001:2008 surveillance audit

ISO 9001:2008 surveillance audit

Certified

Monmouth QMS has been certified to this international standard since 2008 by SGS, one of the most recognized certification bodies for management systems worldwide. Yudhana Petchmanee conducted the audit and covered all the elements required by the standard.

Mr. Petchmanee met with our team, from Quality and Lab Testing, to Customer Service, Office Management/Purchasing, and Production Managers. Some of the elements he reviewed in detail were procedures, documentation, and improvement initiatives. Also, he provided recommendations towards the future implementation of the new ISO 9001 2015 version once the final revision is available.

Commitment to customers

Monmouth Rubber & Plastics main commitment to customers is to continually improve all the aspects of our organization with the main focus of providing a quality product that not only satisfies your requirements, but exceeds them. We recognize that continual improvement is a road without end, and every employee in MRPC is committed to that guiding principle.

Monmouth Rubber & Plastics

Monmouth Rubber was established 54 years ago by John Bonforte Sr., an authority in the closed cell industry and highly recognized by his technical expertise. Since 2011 his son John Bonforte Jr. took over the company leadership in the roles of president and COO  providing a refreshed vision and impulse to grow and improve even more.

 

Monmouth Rubber & Plastics

ISO 9001:2008