2023 May June Marina World

TALKING SHOP
Developing the
Eagle Float
Long in the forefront of plastic float manufacture, Arkansas-based Hendren
Plastics continues to expand the market reach of its premium Eagle Floats
product line. Jim Hendren, owner and president, talks shop.
Q: How did your business life develop?
A: My dad bought a very small plastics
plant in our home town of Gravette in
1967. I was four years old so I grew
up in the business. He and I started
my current company, Hendren Plastics
Inc. in 1984 as I was graduating from
college. However, I decided to join
the Air Force and see the world. I was
fortunate to get to fly the F-15 Eagle
and that is where the name for “Eagle
Floats” came from. I came back from
active duty in 1992. He and I ran the
company together for a few years
and then I purchased it from him in
2006. We have been making plastic
here for over 30 years now.
Q: When did you first start supplying
plastic floats for the marina industry?
How did the floats change over time?
A: Prior to the encapsulation
requirement, we provided white foam
Eagle Floats support docks, gangways and
fingers at marinas in overseas boating hubs
such as Turks & Caicos (above) and on
home territory in the USA (right).
for the market clear back to the 1960s.
We watched as white foam that had
been in the water for over 25 years
was removed and replaced with Eagle
Floats. The white foam had taken on
a lot of water
but was still
providing
sufficient
buoyancy. It
truly is a great
product for
flotation. After
regulations
required
encapsulation,
we waited
Jim Hendren
a few years
to determine the best method and
technology. We made our first Eagle
Floats in 2008 and are now making
over a thousand a day.
Q: Over the course of your career,
what were the most notable changes/
advances in core materials and plastic
float manufacture?
A: The resin quality has improved
significantly for both polyethylene and
expandable polystyrene. This makes it a
little easier to provide consistently high
quality. We’ve also seen widespread
incorporation of computer devices for
controls and equipment management
that also have greatly improved quality.
Q: You must have invested a lot in
maintaining the best manufacturing
equipment. How has this changed over
time? Do you expect equipment to
develop further? If so, how?
A: When we first began the company
we did not have enough capital to buy
new equipment so we bought mainly
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