SIC 3061 Molded, Extruded, and Lathe-Cut Mechanical Rubber Goods
SIC 3061
This category covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing molded, extruded, and lathe-cut mechanical rubber goods. The products are generally parts for machinery and equipment. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing other industrial rubber goods, rubberized fabric, and miscellaneous rubber specialties and sundries are classified in SIC 3069: Fabricated Rubber Products, Not Elsewhere Classified.
326291
Rubber Product Manufacturing for Mechanical Use
Molded, extruded, and lathe-cut goods are used in various types of machinery and equipment. End uses for these products exist in automobiles, oil and gas equipment, appliances, farm equipment, and construction machinery. About 600 firms in the United States make molded, extruded, and lathe-cut goods. Due to the diversity of end uses, the market is fragmented and no single company has dominated the industry. The sector also faces strong foreign competition.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, the value of shipments for this industry in 2005 was $7.1 billion. Of this total, 46 percent consisted of molded rubber mechanical goods for automotive use, 14 percent were molded rubber mechanical goods for transportation use (excluding automotive), 15 percent were other molded rubber mechanical goods, 13 percent were extruded rubber mechanical goods for automotive use (excluding tubing), and 9 percent were other extruded rubber mechanical goods (excluding automotive). Lathe-cut rubber mechanical goods made up the remainder percentage. After 2002, the U.S. Census Bureau rolled this category together with that of "all other rubber product manufacturing" in its Statistics for Industry Groups and Industries. The number of employees in both of those categories together totaled 74,972 in 2005 (of whom 57,693 were production workers).
Many of the products in this segment are custom-made to various end-user specifications. As such, manufacturers often sell them with a higher profit margin. Such customer orders have helped this sector show a higher rate of growth in shipment value compared to other industries.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the recovery of the U.S. automobile industry began to fuel growth in industrial rubber products, which find more than half their end uses in cars. Other areas of growth in the early to mid-2000s were manufacturing, mining, construction, oil and natural gas, appliances, and agriculture.
Competition from imports and other materials such as plastics, which cut processing time by eliminating the curing step necessary for rubber production, were expected to hold back overall growth. As automakers continue to ask for just-in-time delivery to decrease inventories, the advantage of plastics provides a competitive edge in some uses.
The term "molded goods" encompasses a wide-ranging group of products whose shape is determined by the mold in which they are produced. Markets using molded goods include automotive and other types of transportation, appliances, oil and gas fields, off-highway machinery, and equipment used in such industries as construction, farm, lawn and garden, and mining. Benefits of molded goods include resiliency, insulation, cushioning, flexibility, and vibration or noise dampening.
Among the myriad of products produced in this segment of the industry are automotive and off-highway air springs; chassis bumpers; engine and truck mounts; automotive vibration dampers; weather-stripping; wiper blades; pedals and pedal pads; rubber marine bearings; bellows, grommets, and mounts used in appliances; drill pipe protectors; shock absorber mounts; conveyor wheels; pool table bumpers; and railroad-crossing pads.
The rubber mold, normally made from steel, is the most important component in the molding process, giving the part...
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