2023 May June Marina World

TALKING SHOP
Marine structures, such as this cabin,
remain afloat on Eagle Floats.
used equipment and refurbished
it. Beginning in 2000, we were able
to buy new equipment for all of our
processes. While the capital costs
are high, the efficiency, quality and
capacity are incredibly better than older
technology.
The change in technology is very
rapid in terms of equipment and it is
always occurring. We strive to stay
current. For example, we just added
a completely new computerised
control panel to a 20 year old block
mould. The mechanical parts are
still solid, but with new controls it is
now performing like a completely
different machine. We also build a
lot of our own custom equipment,
including adding programmable
logic controllers to many basic
machines to improve performance
and consistency.
Q: Why do you believe your floats
are the best?
A: Engineering and the use of high
quality equipment and resins. As an
electrical engineer, I understand the
value of quality engineering. We are
the only manufacturer with the ability
to custom build our own tooling. We
also use automated steaming,
dispensing and measuring equipment
that we built and designed in house. We
have done objective testing to verify that
the quality is superior, and the use of
technology and engineering have also
allowed us to be lower priced than the
competition.
Q: While no one can ever guard
completely against freak accidents,
there have been some disturbing
pollution issues with polystyrene
escaping from plastic floats. Is the
quality and/or arrangement of the
polystyrene a risk factor or is it down
to shell impact strength? What types of
quality/strength tests do you undertake
to minimise the risk of pollution?
Hendren Plastics president, Jim Hendren, and vice
president sales, Susie Wallace, proudly display their
latest industry awards from the Marina Association of
Texas.
A: We strive hard every day to make
sure that even if a float is punctured
or damaged, the EPS foam core is
fused properly preventing the escape
of beads into the water. We do this
using a proprietary steaming system
that measures the parameters every
50 milliseconds to make sure the
steaming process is correct. If the
foam is fused properly there is almost
no chance of pollution of the water by
loose beads. That also prevents loss of
buoyancy and performance of the float.
Q: Are there any feasible alternatives
to the use of expanded polystyrene for
floating dock systems? Is there any
ongoing R&D in this field?
A: We have tried a couple of
different products, including a resin
called ARCEL that is not prone to
flaking. We have found nothing as
convenient for attaching and as
durable as encapsulated EPS foam
(Eagle Floats). I’m sure research will
continue, but compared to the days
of unencapsulated white foam flaking
off and being destroyed by animals or
abrasion, the encapsulated float is a
huge improvement.
Q: What significant factory expansion
have you undertaken?
A: Since making our first Eagle Float
in 2008, we have invested nearly $7
million in additional equipment and
plant expansion. In the last two
years we have added an additional
15,000ft² (1,400m²) of manufacturing
space and both a new carousel
and shuttle rotational moulding
machines. These were some of the
largest machines in the industry
and nearly doubled our production
capacity. This expansion has cut our
backlog by two thirds and given us
the ability to make even larger parts.
Q: What is your market reach? Do
you have plans to extend this?
A: Worldwide – we are always looking
to expand our reach and increase our
overseas business.
Q: What are the biggest challenges
currently facing manufacturing
companies in the USA?
A: Labour shortages. Last year the
supply chain was a real problem but
it seems to have settled down. Every
other manufacturer I talk to has the
same struggle as we do of finding
sufficient workers to meet the demand.
44 www.marinaworld.com – May/June 2023