The consistent quality ofArmaflex products through theyears is a major reason that ourcustomers have remained with usfor the long haul. There hasnever been a question thatArmacell is tenacious aboutdefending our reputation forbeing #1 in Quality for our cus-tomers. It’s nonnegotiable. Butwe will continue to raise the baron quality to guarantee that thecustomer of foam insulation ortechnical foams will never findan equal to Armacell.

Continuing our performancerecord in quality, Armacell hascreated the additional positionof North American QualityManager to drive the processes toan even higher level.

Mike Resetar, Team Leader,Logistics and Planning forArmacell North America, willassume this new and expandedquality leadership role. He willreport directly to Jim Mars, headof Armacell LLC.

Since we already have aQuality Control Manager assignedto manufacturing, and both USplants have Quality ControlTechnicians assigned to everyshift, what will be different?

First, in some businesses, qual-ity has become a relative termthat’s almost lost its real mean-ing. This latest investment inArmacell reorganization isintended to demonstrate ourbelief as market leaders thatstandards of quality need to lookforward. Satchel Paige’s familiarquotation – “don’t look back,something might be gaining onyou” – could be applied to thetendency to sometimes take“quality” for granted, based onpast investment during rosiereconomic times.

As the new Armacell “qualitychief”, Mike will ensure tightcoordination of all qualityprocesses throughout manufac-turing, implement the most rig-orous data-based measurementsin the industry, and work withcustomers to raise the visibilityand direct-to-customer value ofArmaflex product quality. It’sseen as an investment in not justexceeding customer expecta-tions, but actually in raising thelevel of those expectations.

“This new position will rein-force to our customers and themarket the value Armacell placeson providing the highest of qual-ity products,” according to Mars.“This new position will assistArmacell in maintaining the pre-

miere image for quality.” Resetar will work closely with

the Armacell sales organizationand customers to keep quality atthe forefront, monitor perform-ance and ensure achievementand continuance of necessaryquality certifications.

Mike has been a part of ourteam since 1974 and has servedin various capacities includingplant management positions inboth Atlanta and Mebane. Mikehas been serving in his currentLogistics management capacitysince 1997. With his backgroundand experience in manufactur-ing, planning and logistics, hewas the ideal person to assumethis new and expanded role inthe area of quality management.

Although we sev-ered financial con-nections to our for-mer parent companyback in June 2000,that doesn’t preventus from hiring a fewgood men or womenfrom the Armstrongranks. Jim McLean,former Director ofLogistics for the WoodFlooring Division of ArmstrongWorld Industries, is the newlyhired Manager, Logistics andPlanning, replacing Mike Resetar,our new North American QualityManager.

McLean brings exceptionalcapabilities and experience tothe position on the Armacellteam that is always in the frontlines for servicing our businesspartners and their customers. Hewas part of the Armstrong organ-ization since 1985, having servedin various capacities in Logisticsand Planning, in addition toBusiness Team Manager for theirJackson, TN and Lancaster, PAplants.

In recent years, Jim wasresponsible for logistics manage-ment for Armstrong DLW Europein Bietigheim, Germany until hisrelocation to the strategically

important woodflooring group inPlano, TX earlierthis year.

Jim earned hisB.S. Degree inI n d u s t r i a lEngineering fromLehigh Universityand is APICS certi-fied in production

and inventory man-agement. We are delighted tohave someone of Jim’s caliber,and we know our partners willvalue his energy and strong cus-tomer focus.

It’s sometimessaid that ArmaflexA p p l i c a t i o nS p e c i a l i s t s“trained an indus-try”. Throughoutthe US, there arecontractors andinstallers who arereal craftsmen,able to work withArmaflex elastomeric insula-tion in ways that are amazing-ly quick, clean and beautifullyinstalled. A good number ofthese pros learned some oftheir techniques from ArmaflexApplication Specialists.

Although we’ve continued tooffer special application assis-

tance for manyyears, we’ve decidedas the market lead-ers to expand thisunique and valuableservice to our cus-tomers. Armacell isvery pleased toannounce that MarkHayes, who has morethan 17 years of

experience with our organiza-tion, will help carry forwardthe tradition of ArmaflexApplication Specialist withinthe North American SalesOrganization. Our installationtraining is currently

We’ve started to realize thatsome customers aren’t fullyaware of the Armacell ServicePolicy that provides incrediblyfast turn-around on nearly allorders. Other customers assumedthe prompt deliveries were spe-cial exceptions rather thanexamples of our policy in action.

The bottom line: Armacellservice is as prompt as same-dayon customer pick-ups, same-dayon LTL shipments, and withintwo days for full truck loads. Ifyou know the policy, you canmake Armacell efficiency work toyour advantage. Here are theservice options:Same Day Service: CustomerPick Ups

Just call in your order by:■ 12:00 PM (EST) Mebane, Marietta■ 2:00 PM (EST) Texas,

Indianapolis■ 3:00 PM (EST) California

Same Day Service: LTLShipments from OutsideWarehousesJust call in your order by:■ 12:00 PM (EST) Marietta■ 2:00 PM (EST) Texas,

Indianapolis■ 3:00 PM (EST) California

Next Day Service: LTLShipments from Mebane

Ship within 2 Days: Full TruckLoads from Mebane■ Ship within two days of

receipt of order.

Local InformationFor Our Customers September 2002armacell - North America Report

armacell-North America Report | September | 2002 | Page 1

Special Focus on Service

Key Appointments Show Commitment to Staying #1

Jim McLean

Mark Hayes

Mike Resetar, New NA Quality Manager

Quality Focus Reaches New Level With QM Appointment

Top Logistics Pro Takes Over as Mike Resetar Moves to QM Slot

Armacell Steps Up Leadershipon Application Assistance

Why Such Great Shipping Terms?“Because It’s Our Policy!”

Armacell Customer Service Policy(CSC Hours 7:45 AM - 4:30 PM EST)

1. Customer Pick Up-Same day service if order is called in by:12:00 PM Mebane, Marietta (EST), 2:00 PM Texas, Indianapolis,3:00 PM California (EST)

2. LTL Shipments From Mebane- Ship next dayLTL Shipments From Outside Warehouses - Same day service if order is called in by:12:00 PM Marietta (EST), 2:00 PM Texas, Indianapolis, 3:00 PM California (EST)

3. Full Truck Loads - Mebane only - Shipwithin 2 days of receipt of order

(continued on next page)

armacell-Report armacell-North America Report | September | 2002 | Page 2

International Field Hockey One of Many SportsThriving on Armacell-AstroTurf Composites

Fiber-Free Armaflex Duct Liner HelpsEnhance Indoor Air Quality at PA High School

handled solely by Bob Dizel,known throughout the industryfor his expertise.

Most recently a Team Leader inour Mebane plant, Mark will nowbe responsible for demonstratingproper installation proceduresand techniques as requested andneeded for all products beingproduced and marketed byArmacell LLC. Like Bob Dizeldoes so well, Mark will use hisvaluable personal skills and hisin-depth product knowledge andexperience to establish closesupportive relationships withthe installers of Armaflex prod-ucts. He will also supportArmacell Territory Managers inefforts to ensure proper installa-tion techniques.

It’s part of Armacell’s contin-ued efforts to provide our cus-tomers with the highest quality

products and service in ourindustry.

Mark joined the Armaflexorganization in 1979 inBraintree, MA. He served asProduction Supervisor for 17years before being promoted toMixing Team Manager.

Mark was transferred to NorthCarolina in 1995 as part of theMebane plant start-up team andhas held various manufacturing /quality positions.

Special Focus on ServiceArmacell Steps Up Leadership

on Application Assistance(continued from page 1)

Cumberland Valley High School, Mechanicsburg, PA

Can’t wait for in-person orover-the-phone assistance fromthe Armaflex ApplicationSpecialist? Be sure your teamhas our Installation Manual. It’savailable free, a 24-page summa-ry of valuable information for

installing Armaflex tube andsheet or roll products in a widerange of applications.

You’ll find thickness recom-mendations, illustrated tech-niques for basic installation,best techniques for sweat orscrewed fittings, , sheet on metalductwork, plus valuable tables tohelp calculate yields and meas-ure amounts of sheet insulationrequired for large elbow fittings.

For copies, contact Debbie Sahddebbie.a.sahd@armacell.com

or download from www.armacell.com, under ArmaService.

For Quick Tips ’n Techniques: TheArmaflex Installation Manual

Sports NowBenefitting fromArmaFoamTechnical Foams

An update on the continuingrenovation and expansion of oneof central Pennsylvania’s largesthigh schools:

When the Cumberland ValleySchool District inMechanicsburg, PA decided toadd new wings to its high school,it also decided to enhance indoorair quality by eliminating anyfibrous materials in the facility.One of the ways it did so was by

selecting patented, fiber-free APArmaflex SA Duct Liner for useon all the ductwork. Over 75,000square feet of the elastomericinsulation will be installed aspart of the massive new con-struction project.

In addition to being fiber free,AP Armaflex insulation’s closed-cell elastomeric foam structurewon’t absorb moisture, therebyhelping to reduce or eliminate

conditions that can lead to bio-logical contamination andbioaerosols. The insulation’ssmooth surface also helps inhib-it the build-up of dirt and otherpossible contaminants. And,because it’s supplied in self-adhering sheets, it can saveinstallation time and labor costs.

AP Armaflex Duct Liner isfinding its way into renovatedbuildings and new specificationsat a record rate. Some of thesefacilities have been mentioned inprevious articles in this publica-tion. One we’ve neglected tomention is somewhat hard tooverlook, and is installing hugequantities of this patented prod-uct on an ongoing basis: theEmpire State Building.

For more information on ourAP Armaflex SA Duct Liner, call1-800-866-5638 or visitwww.armacell.com.

As reported previouslyand in the global sectionof this issue, the rapidsuccess of ArmaFoamfrom Armacell meansworldwide sports have acredible new source forturf underlayments.They’re the hidden keycomponent of the sophis-ticated composites thatcover many modern ath-letic fields. One of the mostexacting applications is in thefast sport of international fieldhockey, a hugely popular compe-tition in some areas of the world,and ArmaFoam is proving to beup to the challenge.

For every sport, the turfunderlayment has to be specifi-cally prepared for the extremeconditions it will be called toperform under. Extreme heat,snow, and moisture can all influ-ence and take their toll on anathlete’s performance. Hiddenfrom the competition and thecrowds, the turf underlaymentmust endure those same condi-tions as well as constant impact,day after day, game after game.For peak performance and safetyunder any conditions, the under-layment and turf surface need towork as a carefully engineered,perfectly teamed composite.

Granted, field hockey might

not appear to some of us todemand the same turf perform-ance as football, where mostlyvery large bodies hit the playingsurface as frequently as theystand and run on it. But don’t bedeceived. Like soccer, field hock-ey can cause extreme wear and

tear on boththe athleteand the play-ing surface.Additionally,the surfacec o m p o s i t eneeds to pro-vide just the

right “roll” for the ball to reactwith reasonable predictabilitywhen the field is wetted down.

The new high-performancefield at the International FieldHockey Training Center inVirginia Beach is one example ofcollaboration between two globalleaders, integrating Armacell’snearly 50 years of leading-edgeexperience in foaming technolo-gies with the expertise ofAstroTurf, the world leader andpremier name in artificial turf.By pooling their substantialresources as leaders in theirrespective fields, the strategicalliance has engineered a com-posite surface that offers break-through advantages.

Field hockey is growing at anenormously fast pace, and it isimportant for the technicaldesign of all field components tobe based on critical technicaldata, addressing the needs ofboth the athlete and the fieldmaintenance team. Careful con-sideration is given to maintain-ing these physical properties

under all conditions. AtArmacell, the foam under-layment formulations andprocess techniques are aresult of studies doneglobally at our 13 manu-facturing facilities world-wide. Armacell engineersthe products to meet pre-cise requirements set byAstroTurf, which providesthe specific direction for

the design and structuring of thehigh-performance composite sur-faces.

Rigorous testing is required.Accelerated-age testing deter-mines that the composite willperform over the life of the field.

G-max studies ensure that thecomposite safely absorbs impactforces typical of the fast sport inorder to prevent injuries.Laboratory field simulations veri-fy, for example, that the ball willbounce or roll correctly underspecific field hockey parameters.These are some of the manyassessments that contribute toanalyzing the chemical andprocess procedures. Valuable dataaccumulated by years of studieshas resulted in the best solutionever available to this and otherpopular worldwide sports.

Under construction: New International Field Hockey Training Center in Virginia Beach.

■ Football

■ Soccer

■ Baseball

■ Field Hockey

■ Lacrosse

■ Golf (driving ranges)

■ Equestrian (saddle pads)

■ Gymnastics

To contact Armacell for spe-

cial application assistance,

just access www.armacell.com

and the USA site, click on

“Contact Us” (left navigation

bar), and send in your

request!