SHARON, WI--(Marketwire - November 17, 2009) - Exacto Inc. will significantly increase its
capacity to develop, manufacture and distribute adjuvant products that
enhance chemicals used for crop protection, pest control and vegetation
management through a move to larger quarters custom-designed for lean
manufacturing and quality control.
Exacto, whose
adjuvants and
surfactants are sold by other companies under private labels, is
doubling its space by the move to a 50,000-square-foot facility in Sharon,
Wis., from its original location about 20 miles southeast in Richmond, Ill.
"Exacto continues to be blessed by the confidence and support of our many
customers, suppliers and employees, and I am pleased to announce this
progressive step for our company," said Diana Braun, Exacto's president.
The company works in the wholesale market, creating and selling adjuvants
and surfactants for its customers' private labels. Its customers market
into agriculture, forestry, utilities and rights of way, highly managed
turf, home and garden, range and pasture and vegetation management. Exacto
products improve the action of pesticides and other vegetation-control
chemicals, and increase application efficiency.
Exacto's clients have come to rely on Exacto for its niche packaging
capabilities, technical and scientific expertise in product development,
in-house label design as well as its marketing expertise. The company's
product line-up has expanded significantly since its founding in 1981.
Greater Operating Efficiencies
The move to Sharon will add operating efficiencies and enhance the
company's already highly successful quality control.
"Our new facility supports our vision of streamlined order processing and
logistics," Braun said, noting Exacto's commitment to the principles of
lean manufacturing. "The expanded space will allow systematic flow of
materials throughout the order cycle, allowing Exacto to remain an industry
leader in the areas of quality, flexibility and value to its customers."
The building gives Exacto twice the docking capacity of its former site. In
addition, the Sharon facility has railroad service, which opens the door to
improved efficiency for the purchase and sale of commodity materials, Braun
said.
"Our business approach always has been that we must do everything we can to
ensure the success of our customers, because we only succeed when they
succeed," said Dave Langemo, marketing and sales development manager for
Exacto.
On-site Crop Research
Along with the efficiency gains from the interior layout, the company
expects to benefit from the 30+ acres of land around the building. Plans
call for adding a greenhouse and for planting crops on some of the acreage.
Those enhancements would give Exacto even greater research capabilities,
said Frank Sexton, technical services manager for Exacto, which has its own
research staff.
"Often with new product developments, we utilize university research
stations to determine which formulations and concepts stand out," Sexton
said. "Now with this property, we will have an added dimension to that
research, being able to evaluate our product ideas and narrow our scope
before replicating with university research trials."
Value of Adjuvants More Accepted
Langemo has seen a growing awareness of the benefits of adjuvants for
chemicals used in agriculture and vegetation management.
"End users have come to realize the agronomic benefits adjuvants bring to
their spray operations," he said. "In our business, performance-enhancing
substances are more accepted than ever. We see our customers using
value-added adjuvants as a way to distinguish themselves in the market, and
we're confident that our new facility will bolster our abilities to make
new discoveries that will meet our customers' needs."
Exacto's range of products includes:
-- Deposition and drift control technologies
-- Emulsion technologies and adjuvant components
-- Surfactant and wetting technologies
-- Specialty adjuvants such as water conditioners, buffering agents, and
stickers
-- Crop oil and seed oils
-- Cleaning compounds and neutralizers
-- Foaming agents
-- Defoamers and antifoams
-- Scents and masking agents
-- Dyes, colorants and pigments
Those products are offered in multiple package sizes, ranging from pint or
metric equivalent to bulk shipments. Delivering turnkey product is a strong
niche for Exacto.
While the majority of its clients are in the U.S.,
Exacto also serves customers in Canada,
Australia, Asia, Europe and Central America.
Contact Information: Contact:
Dave Langemo
Exacto Inc.
701-293-7330