In 1953, a young man named Percy Harms was selling steel to mold builders when he saw a need in the emerging plastics and injection molding industry—helping them prevent parts from sticking in the mold. That need drove Percy to approach a cousin working in the rapidly growing aerosol industry about putting silicone oil in an aerosol can.
It also evolved into the first mold release—and foundation —of the new Percy Harms Corp., predecessor of Slide Products, Wheeling, Ill. which celebrates its 60th anniversary in the injection molding industry this year. From that first mold release have come hundreds of innovations, all focused on the same thing – helping injection molders work smarter, faster and more productively.
Commemorating Slide’s 60 years of innovations will be two separate giveaways of a new iPad. To participate, qualified industrial users should go to here, correctly answer one trivia question about Slide Products and submit their contact information before June 30, 2013. A second question will be posted from July 1-Dec. 15, 2013. The first winner will be announced in July, and the second before year end. Only one entry per person per giveaway is allowed.
Slide Products has continued to innovate and offer plastics processors and mold builders unique products and smart formulations that are also environmentally safe. Among their innovations, they were one of the first companies in the industry to eliminate chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) from all of products.
“After the EPA issued its final assessment in September 2011 characterizing trichloroethylene (TCE), one of the most widely used chlorinated solvents nationwide, as carcinogenic, we eliminated not just TCE, but all chlorinated solvents from our products,” said Michael. Not a single product in the company’s entire line has any type of chlorinated solvent.
They also maintain a close relationship with customers and distributors. Unlike many companies that have an online-only sales strategy, Slide Products continues to employ an extensive network of locally based distributors worldwide who know customers by name and can provide products and technical support quickly and easily. “An online-only company can’t hop in the car and drive over to answer questions or deliver product,” explains Michael.
