Pittsburgh, PA (July, 2008): We’ve all heard stories about forklift accidents and how they could have been prevented. According to OHSA, there are tens of thousands of reported forklift accidents every year, costing an estimated one hundred million dollars. Customers are always looking for methods of prevention, but they do not always know where to look.

TMI, LLC’s Save-T Solutions division, the industry leader and one-stop-shop for flexible PVC, energy control doors, loading dock accessories, and safety products has responded to customer requests. TMI is expanding their Save-T product line by adding new, economical safety protection products. These products were added to meet customer demands and to compliment TMI’s line of loading dock accessories.

New Save-T Products protect employees, machinery, equipment, and goods from damage caused by forklifts and other warehouse vehicles. The new line consists of Column Protectors, Bollard Posts, Machine Guards, and Bumper Post Sleeves, as well additional lines of Parking blocks, Speed Bumps, and Wall & Corner Protectors.

To further enhance their safety line, TMI also added a line of Haz-Mat Containment Products, including Storage Cabinets and Spill Containment Platforms. Safety Cabinets protect secure flammable liquids and contain them during fires. Spill Containment platforms contain potential spills from damaging work areas.

TMI, LLC is a one-stop-shop for thousands of material handling and door dealers throughout the country. This new line of products fits TMI’s Save-T Products’ goal: to supply products and solutions that improve working conditions, create a safer work environment, reduce energy costs, and help meet federal OSHA standards and regulations. For more information, or to request TMI’s new Save-T Solutions Loading Dock Accessory and Safety Products catalog, please call 800-888-9750, visit our website at www.tmi-pvc.com, or email customer-service@tmi-pvc.com.

Prevention is better than Cure!

TMI Save-T Solutions is a fully integrated, leading manufacturer and supplier of strip doors, exclusive PVC based strip, film, panel and sheet products, air doors, weld screens, swinging impact doors, industrial curtains, modular enclosures, dock accessories, and safety products. TMI products and services are designed to provide customers with innovative solutions that improve work safety, cleanliness, comfort, efficiency, and energy savings.

TMI, LLC Celebrates 20 Years of Success and Innovation!

2008 marks the 20th anniversary for TMI, LLC. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality flexible PVC products and energy control solutions has continued to experience years of rapid growth and development through product innovation and strategic acquisitions.

TMI, LLC, Trading and Manufacturing Industries, began in 1988 as a small manufacturer of PVC strip doors. Within two decades, under the leadership of founder and CEO Jos Kleynjans, TMI has become the market leader in the flexible PVC industry. TMI has introduced lines of air doors, loading dock accessories, and additional PVC products including swinging impact doors and industrial curtains. In recent years, TMI has added lines of flexible roll-up bug screens, roll-up security doors, as well as the patented Rip-A-Strip™ and Save-T Loc™ hardware system. The diversified product line has given TMI the opportunity to be a one-stop-shop to thousands of distributors throughout the world.

In 1998, TMI acquired Curtron Products, the food service division of TMI, LLC. Another food service acquisition followed in 2002, when TMI acquired Safety Seal. Over the past twelve months acquisition activity has accelerated with the backing of the private equity group ShoreView Industries. In September 2007, TMI, LLC acquired a state-of-the-art PVC extrusion company, with a capacity of 60,000 lbs of PVC per day. Two months later, TMI acquired FlexBarrier Products, a Georgia-based manufacturer of strip doors, industrial curtains and roll-up screen doors.  

Today, the TMI Group of Companies operates as four divisions: Save-T™  Solutions services the overhead door and material handling market, Curtron™ caters to the food service industry, Vinyl Solutions™ provides coated, laminated and bulk PVC products and conversion services to industrial OEM customers, and last but not least TMI Export Solutions. TMI operates out of four strategically placed locations throughout the United States, allowing the company to meet customer demands in effective and cost-efficient manners. When asked about the success of the company, TMI President Joe Peilert comments: “Our customers have always appreciated TMI’s dedication to product quality, quick delivery and our extensive product offering, allowing for one-stop shopping. But, even more important than these success ingredients is our unwavering commitment to our distributors, TMI will not sell direct unlike many of our competitors.”

Looking ahead, Peilert comments: ”driven by innovation and the ability to meet customer needs through its extensive custom conversion services, TMI is positioned for continued growth and expansion in the upcoming years. More acquisitions are planned for the next 12 months, allowing the company to expand its geographic foot print. The addition of new dealers is a continuous process, allowing for quick service and professional installations throughout the entire country.”

The TMI Group of Companies is a fully integrated, leading international producer and supplier of strip doors, exclusive PVC based strip, film, panel and sheet products, PVC coated and laminated fabrics, air doors, screens, swinging impact doors, curtains, modular enclosures and dock accessories. Services include slitting, heat sealing, interleaving, sheeting and die-cutting. TMI products and services are designed to provide customers with innovative solutions that improve work safety, cleanliness, comfort, efficiency and energy savings.

TMI, LLC’s Rip-A-Strip™: As Simple as Transparent Tape!

How can you bring true innovation to something as simple as a strip door? What if a service professional could reduce the installation time of a strip door by 75 %, eliminate the need to punch holes and cut strips with a sharp carpet knife, all while reducing cost by up to 35%? Would that qualify? TMI, LLC, the leader in the extrusion and manufacture of flexible PVC products did it! The patented Rip-A-Strip™, pre-cut and punched PVC strips on a continuous roll, revolutionized strip door technology in 2003, and is now setting new standards for replacing worn or torn strips.

Rip-A-Strip™, ready-to-hang replacement strips on a roll, is now stocked in the most common strip widths, lengths, and grades. Each roll ships in an easy-to-use dispenser. Simply pull the strip out of the box, hang the strip, and tear the strip off the roll. No tools or knives are required for strip replacement and installation. Strips never have to make contact with the ground or surface, ensuring original clarity. Rip-A-Strip™ replacement strips fit over 99% of all existing hardware. One box can be purchased to replace worn or torn strips, or two or more boxes can be used in conjunction with our patented Save-T Loc™ hardware to make a complete door. Rolls are available in Standard Clear, Offset Double Ribbed, and USDA Low Temp grades.

Rip-A-Strip™ saves up to 35% of total strip door costs and over 75% of installation time! Stocked Rip-A-Strip™ rolls are ready to ship in easy-to-handle sizes, avoiding costly freight charges. Boxes are perfect for installers and service managers who replace strips over and over again. TMI’s Rip-A-Strip™ is simply the easiest and most affordable strip door product to use. Need more convincing? Check out the exclusive Rip-A-Strip™ video at http://www.tmi-pvc.com/rip-a-strip/index.html.

Follow the Leader! Contact TMI at 1-800-888-9750 today, or visit TMI on the web at www.tmi-pvc.com!   

Green question: Would you purchase a strip door if it could guarantee immediate energy savings and a three-month or less payback period? TMI will provide it!

Rick Rochelle sells business to secure its long-term success joining another industry leader

Pittsburgh, PA - Effective November 21, 2007 FlexBarrier, Inc. of Norcross, GA has joined the TMI Group of Companies.

For TMI, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, this is the second acquisition during the last six months. The addition of FlexBarrier allows TMI to expand its product line as well as geographic positioning. Going forward, FlexBarrier will operate as FlexBarrier Products, LLC as part of the TMI group of companies. “FlexBarrier enjoys an excellent reputation in the market place and offers TMI’s dealer network a line of exciting new products and supply options. FlexBarrier customers will have access to TMI’s product lines such as air doors, industrial curtains, dock bumpers and dock lights, industrial enclosures and swinging impact doors. Moreover, the addition of FlexBarrier will allow us to establish a distribution point in the Southeast to more effectively compete in this market.” comments Joe Peilert, President of TMI International.

Rick Rochelle, President & CEO of FlexBarrier, Inc. agreed to stay on board to manage the Cold Storage and Refrigeration Contractor business for the TMI Group. He comments: "Our partnership with TMI is a progressive step to provide our customers a more diversified product line to increase their profits. With the additional investment in equipment, the great service and quality Flexbarrier and TMI are known for will be further enhanced.“

TMI,LLC is a fully integrated, leading international producer and supplier of strip doors, exclusive PVC based strip, film, panel and sheet products, PVC coated and laminated fabrics, air doors, screens, swinging impact doors, curtains, modular enclosures and dock accessories. Services include slitting, heat sealing, interleaving, sheeting and die-cutting.
FlexBarrier,Inc. is a Norcross, GA based national manufacturer and supplier of vinyl, wire mesh safety and screen doors, strip doors, clean rooms and curtain walls. FlexBarrier products and services are designed to provide customers with innovative solutions that improve work safety, cleanliness, comfort, efficiency and energy savings.
For more information, please contact Chuck Wytiaz, TMI LLC National Sales Manager at 412-787-9750 or Customer-Service@tmi-pvc.com

On September 28, 2007 TMI, LLC made their third major acquisition, a state-of-the-art extrusion company with a capacity of more than 60,000 pounds per day. Extrusion capabilities include flexible PVC strip and sheet as well as rigid PVC sheet and widths from 4 inches to 60 inches and thicknesses from 40 mil to ½ inch thick.

Several more strategic acquisitions are on tap in the coming months.

Vinyl Solutions, a division of TMI, LLC, made their presence known in Las Vegas as a world wide leader in the flexible PVC Industry. From October 3rd thru 5th we displayed our Save-T PVC and conversion services to all the attendees of the Industrial Fabrics Association International. 

Since 1997, TMI has been an active member of the IFAI trade association. By expanding our product lines and servicing many industries, we are now recognized as one of the industries most valued suppliers.

The R&L NASCAR Racing Hauler brightened the skies over TMI on an overcast day, as a thank you for TMI's long standing business with R&L Carriers.
TMI employees, family, and friends were treated to an up close look at the life of NASCAR. Everyone signed the visitor's book and received a souvienir of this special day.
Lunch was provided courtesy of R&L. (who said there is no "free lunch")

Summer is Drive-Thru Season! People are eating out more. It is good for business. But, bugs and heat fly in every time the drive-thru window opens.
Stop losing air conditioning and letting flying bugs in, install a Save-T air door specially designed for drive-thru openings. These units will keep the
car fumes, hot summer air, and flying insects out of your store for the comfort of employees and customers. (Works great in the winter too.)
Call today for a quote: 1-800-888-9750.

Strip Doors Aren't Just For Industrial Use, TMI Takes It To The Big Apple!

When are vertical blinds not vertical blinds? When they are TMI accordion strip curtains.

When a prominent global art promotion and artist management company, hired an architectural firm to help with the design of office and work space in Williamsburg, NY, little did they know that they would be getting TMI strip curtains.

The loft space in Brooklyn had walls of windows that were ideal for the combination office and artist studios. But these windows were noisy, drafty, and on some days just too bright. How to retain the positive feature of copious amounts of light but solve these problems? Enter TMI's Tom Orient, a 16 year employee, who knows his way around PVC. He worked tirelessly with the architect, sending samples and making suggestions. PVC plastics have insulative and acoustical properties. When heavy enough PVC material was introduced, street noise and drafts were dampened. Various sample of opaque and frosted materials were sent to be viewed until the perfect light solution was found.

Ultimately this loft was decked in walls of accordion strip curtains. The strips can be louvered to allow light and air when desired. They can also be pulled aside to allow a full view. The office area received white opaque strip for a more solid wall look. As an added bonus, this wall can be used like a giant screen to project images. For the studio work area, frosted material was chosen. This softened the glare of the full sun exposure. These industrial curtains blended well with the loft's exposed pipes, beams, and duct work. Clear curtain enclosures were fabricated to allow viewing of an artist work while protecting observers in the area from paint and sculptor's flying debris.

TMI, LLC announces the addition of a Dusenbery Model 635 Slitter/Rewinder to its facility. In order to keep up with the steady growth in demand for conversion services, TMI has added this unit to the production floor.

The Dusenbery was chosen for its reputation for producing a quality product. This unit combines speed, superior tension and tracking capabilities, and easily programmable machine controls. The lead operator spent 2 days at the suppliers receiving training on the unit and their trainer spent 2 days here in Pittsburgh testing all the different types of materials TMI has to offer, to insure cutting quality. TMI has several different sets of cutting heads to be sure we have the correct knife for the material.

This addition extends what services TMI has to offer. The maximum roll size is up to 80 inches (2032mm). The smallest slit cut is 1 inch (25.4mm). This goes beyond what was previously available. The machine's speed and ease of set-up has increased our capacity without compromising quality.

Please call us for any and all of your converting needs: Slitting * Sheeting * Interleaving * Dusting * Put up changes * Static Dissipation * Die cutting

TMI Solves a City's "Smelly" Problem

TMI's Custom Strip Enclosure helps to solve a major odor problem at the South Meadows Metropolitan district sewage plant in Hartford, CT. The sewage treatment plant was shut down for odor pollution, after the plant failed initial tests. This troubled composting plant that was suppose to transform the region's sewage sludge into fertilizer was built for about 17 million dollars and was scheduled to process 300 tons of sludge, left daily after removing much of the water from the sewage, produced by Hartford and seven area towns. It didn't work!! The plant smelled so bad that the state Department of Environmental Protection citied it as a nuisance after downwind residents in Wethersfield complained about the unbearable smell.

Major modifications have been made to the odor-control system. Specially designed plastic strip curtains that enclose an area of about a quarter acre have been installed around the composting cells to limit the offensive gases from escaping into the environment. The TMI, LLC manufactured PVC enclosure features 12" wide strips arranged in a 100% overlap pattern and are suspended from a stainless steel type 316 fastening systems. Additional fans also blow the air around the composting cell and a new "bi-filter" has been constructed outside the plant, to breakdown the offensive odors. The director of the waste processing plant said many of the changes made at the Hartford plant were successful in reducing odors and a similar composting plant in Schenectady, NY, applied the same strip enclosures to meet the EPA requirements.