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ARPM’s first-quarter plant tour will be a two-facility event, taking place at Chem-Trend and Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies in the greater-Detroit area. During this all-day event, attendees will visit Freudenberg’s headquarters and R&D lab in Plymouth and Chem-Trend’s global laboratories and manufacturing facility in Howell. Both organizations are making strides to have more sustainable operations, and their progress and next steps will be the highlight of each tour.

Chem-Trend manufactures a wide variety of high- performance release agents and related processing aids used in the die casting, polyurethane, rubber, tire, composites, thermoplastics and wood composite industries. With offices and manufacturing sites in North America, South America, Asia and Europe, Chem-Trend is a local partner to customers wherever they do business.  As a member of the Freudenberg Group, Chem-Trend can also leverage vast innovation, supply chain and financial resources to better serve industry.

The Plymouth, Michigan facility is the headquarters for Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies, the largest non-tire rubber molder in the US, producing roughly 2 million pieces per day in the US. The culture is controlled by their Guiding Principles, of which principle #1 is the “commitment to meeting and exceeding our customer’s needs and expectations.” Operating in virtually every market segment, Freudenberg is a family-owned business with sales of approximately 9 billion Euro.

Attendees of this tour event will:

• Hear from Freudenberg-NOK and Chem-Trend’s leadership teams
• Visit two facilities
• Network with dozens of other rubber industry leaders
• Benchmark their operations against their peers
• Leave with practical and immediate action items to improve their operations

Thank you to our sponsor!

Proposed Agenda (subject to change): 

The event will begin at Saint Johns Resort in Plymouth, Michigan at 8am local time. 

The bus will pick attendees up at the resort and head to Chem-Trend’s facility first and finish out the day at Freudenberg. Both facilities will include roundtable discussions, presentations, and a tour focused on processes that are increasing sustainability.

At the end of the tour, the bus will take all attendees back to the resort.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided for this tour, and a member reception will follow on the evening of February 28th at Saint John's Resort.

Hotel and Travel:

Hotel:  

• The event will begin and end with a reception at Saint Johns Resort
• Saint John's Resort is located at 44045 Five Mile Rd, Plymouth, MI 48170
• ARPM Hotel Block: Book Your Room 
• To book your reservation over the phone, please call 734-414-0600 and reference the Association for Rubber Products Manufactuers for the group rate of $199/night. 
• Reservations must be made by 02-13-2023.

Travel: 

• For attendees flying in, it is recommended to fly into the Detroit Metro Airport 
• For attendees driving in, the day will begin and end in Plymouth, Michigan at Saint John's Resort.
• Transportation will be provided to both facilities and back to the hotel on the day of the event. 

Important Information

This event is open to members and non-members. ARPM Members, please be sure to sign in to receive member pricing. 

Cancellation Policy: 50% refunds will be issued up to two weeks before the event (February 14, 2023). After February 14th, cancellations will not be refunded but can be credited towards another plant tour event. 

Proper PPE (steel toe shoes and safety glasses) will be required at each facility. Each attendee will need to sign an NDA before the tour. 

Questions - contact Kaitlyn Krol at kkrol@arpminc.org. 

Registration

Online registration is now closed.