In more ways than one, Cranston-based Mear-thane Products Corp. has proved to be the ultimate spinoff company over the last 60 years.
The company was created in 1965 to manufacture polyurethane – a polymer that can behave like either rubber or plastic – products and has long outlived its parent, a Massachusetts shoe company named Mears.
Now a large portion of Mearthane’s business produces industrial rollers and wheels that can be found in everything from warehouse conveyor belts to factory robotics and inline skates.
“We make things that go in the things that make the world go around,” said Alejandro Martinez, Mearthane’s marketing director.
One of the first non-shoe applications is what Martinez calls “media handling” – polyurethane-coated wheels transporting paper through a machine such as printers or the mechanisms that ATMs use to move dollar bills.
Now Mearthane’s wheels are more commonly seen in inline skates. The company’s Black Magic wheels are its top product line, Martinez says.
While inline speed skating is not an Olympic sport, athletes competing in speed skating on ice during the winter Olympics often roller skate in the offseason. Many of these athletes use Mearthane’s wheels.
The company churns out more than 500,000 skating wheels annually from its headquarters in Cranston – making it one of the leading manufacturers of inline wheels in the country. Another 500,000 polyurethane components are produced in Cranston for other industries, too.
Military contractors are significant customers, too. Mearthane has a custom polyurethane formula specific for use on nuclear submarines, where components must be durable in harsh conditions for long periods of time because machinery can only be serviced in the dry dock.
Mearthane has acquired eight companies since 2017. The company operates six factories spanning about 170,000 square feet in six different states.
As a result of this expansion, the number of employees skyrocketed from a few dozen to at least 200. And the company’s revenue has grown six times, although Martinez declined to give specific revenue figures.
The acquisitions came after Mearthane switched hands from its founder to a group of buyers, including Peter Kaczmarek, who now serves as CEO and president.
Mearthane began acquiring companies in the polyurethane industry where the owner was getting ready to retire and didn’t have a succession plan.
“We’re one of the larger and more capable firms out there, so it’s exciting to sort of be part of that,” Kaczmarek said. “There are still opportunities for more growth.”
