Creative Foam: Supplier of Choice

Creative Foam Corporation, has designed and fabricated cellular and non-cellular foams and plastics for customers in the automotive, medical, and composite markets for nearly 40 years. The bulk of its business comes from the automotive industry. Automotive clients include General Motors, Chrysler, Honda, Ford and Johnson Controls.

Applications from water and dust seals to acoustical and thermal insulation are the backbone of its automotive product range. 

Automotive Industries (AI) asked Wayne Blessing, Chief Executive Officer of Creative Foam Corporation, how the company has fared in this challenging era for the American automotive industry.

WB: Despite the slowdown in the American automotive industry, Creative Foam has remained financially strong through diversification, efficient production techniques
and business systems, sound financial planning, and not assuming the burden of debt. As a result, it has been able to grow its business.

Creative Foam prides itself on offering complete product development and prototyping capabilities, including computer-aided design support. The company’s seven manufacturing facilities include die cutting, tool making, fabrication, vacuum forming, and compression molding, while its engineering and development center is a source of cutting-edge design solutions.

AI: Is Creative Foam looking to expand its non-automotive portfolio and if so, how do you plan to go about executing this strategy?

WB: We have been and will continue to expand our non-automotive businesses, but not at the expense of our core automotive business. Expansion of all of our businesses continues to be self funded without the use of debt. Our strategy is to be the supplier of choice to the best customers in each of the markets we serve, and while we can always improve, we feel we have for the most part achieved that goal.

AI: What are some of the innovations Creative Foam is introducing in its product range? Tell us a little about why this is particularly important in the current scenario.

WB: Our goal is to leverage our core competencies in cellular plastics materials along with state-of-the-art manufacturing processes to provide the most value to our customers. This “technical” value is only part of the picture in this environment, however. Our current and new customers are finding tremendous value in having a supplier that is financially sound in this market.

There are OEMs and Tier One level automotive suppliers who have had to move business two or three times in the past year because their suppliers have had to close their doors. Not only is this costly in the short term for them, but it has led to major quality issues. During this period of economic instability, the smartest automotive suppliers are locking in with suppliers like Creative Foam that are financially sound.