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Synco Chemical
Corporation Marks 30th Anniversary –
Leading
Manufacturer of Premium Synthetic Lubricants Has Had No Layoffs
And Never
Considered Relocating off Long Island
Bohemia, NY…
While it may be hard to believe in today’s service-based
economy, there still are manufacturers thriving on Long Island, New York. In
Synco Chemical Corporation’s case, growth and success has persisted for three
decades. What makes the 30th anniversary even more significant for
the manufacturer of Super Lube® synthetic greases and oils is the fact that the
company has retained some of its original employees and has never had a lay-off.
Furthermore, founders, President Sal Randisi Sr. and his wife, Treasurer Hilda
Randisi, never once thought about moving the company from its 18,000-square foot
Bohemia, New York headquarters to a lower operating cost geographical area. This
is despite the fact that Synco is now marketing its products in over 40
countries worldwide.
“The majority of our people have been with us for years.
They have family on Long Island and we would never think to ask them to uproot
their lives,” stated Mr. Randisi.
That family attitude is what Juan Nuñez, Synco’s chief
operating officer cites as one of the major contributing factors to the
company’s success.
“Synco has been a small family business since it started in
1980,” said Nuñez. “The fact that the owners are partners both in business and
in life, and wonderful people, has created a feeling of family and camaraderie
that permeates throughout the organization. Everyone is treated fairly; there is
open communications at all levels and weekly meetings to exchange ideas. In
return, Sal Sr. and Hilda have gained the loyalty and complete commitment from
their employees.”
“We are a family business in every way,” said Mrs. Randisi.
“Our employees know they can always talk to us, give their opinion and we will
listen. We encourage everyone to offer ideas and solutions. We believe it’s
their company too and their opinions count.”
The company started with four people and now has 27 staff
members, a few of whom have been with the company for as long as 28 years. The
average tenure is over 7 years and there has been very little turnover. The
company’s staff mirrors the growing diversity of our nation with several
ethnicities represented. The glass ceiling is non-evident with women in many top
managerial positions, from plant manager to supervisor of quality control.
Employee loyalty is not the only ingredient in Synco’s
success formula. From the very beginning, the company was a product innovator.
The teaming up of Sal Randisi Sr., a mechanical engineer and Hilda Randisi, a
pharmacist, resulted in the development of an innovative white gelled formula (WGL)
in which Hilda was able to suspend a key ingredient, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE),
a solid lubricant which does not evaporate like base oils and thus lasts three
to four times longer. In addition to being longer-lasting, the product has since
evolved to offer other key features: anti-friction, anti-wear, anti-rust,
anti-corrosion, water and salt resistant, environmentally-clean and food grade
quality.
The Randisis patented the product and its proprietary PTFE
element, Syncolon®, and began marketing the product initially to the consumer
boating market. Subsequently, a major telecommunications company recognized the
product’s potential in a unique telecommunications application, giving birth to
the second product in the Synco line. It was a user-friendly gel applied as a
water sealant in aerial splice bags to eliminate the then common problem of
cross-talk. With this major contract, Synco was launched to a new level and soon
thereafter, more contracts started coming in from major corporations including a
pioneer in fiber optic cables who awarded the company its first $1 million
contract. With that 1981 contract, Synco leased additional space in its current
location. In 1983, Synco branded its Super Lube® product, began expanding into
new vertical markets and purchased the entire building where it was previously
leasing space. In 1984, Sal II, the Randisis son joined the company as head of
sales and helped expand into new markets. Two years later, a large international
oil refinery began distributing Synco’s products in Italy, and soon after, the
company’s products were in Japan and other Asian markets.
Fast forward to 2010 and we see Synco still in an expansion
mode although it has contained its staff size by operating lean, efficiently and
with leading-edge technologies.
“Our application of advanced technologies, both on the
manufacturing line and on the business side has enabled us to work smarter,
accurately and in adherence to the highest standards of quality and customer
service,” said Mr. Nuñez.
Synco is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company, currently
pursuing Ford Motor Company’s Q1 Preferred Quality Award certification. The
company’s Super Lube® grease and oil products are manufactured, and listed as
“Food Grade”, with an H-1 rating, for incidental food contact by the National
Sanitation Foundation (NSF) in compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) specifications. Super Lube® products are also Kosher-certified by the
Rabbinical Counsel of New England.
“Quality is our number one priority here at Synco. It is
inbred in all of us and required by our customers. It is evident across all
areas of operation, from production and customer service to our R&D for the
continuous improvement of our formulations,” stated Mr. Nuñez.
“We are always open to potential acquisitions or strategic
alliances which enable us to continually evolve and fulfill broader market
needs. While our industry and manufacturing, in general, has changed
considerably over the past three decades – most notably with increased
regulatory climate, the advancement of technologies and outsourcing – there are
still some basic tenets that hold true. They are: you need a product that keeps
pace with market conditions such as new regulations for environmental protection
and consumer safety, can be produced with consistency and high quality, and can
be offered at competitive price points. That’s ultimately what counts; that and
a strong commitment to customer service,” said Mr. Randisi.
For Synco Chemical Corporation, manufacturing has been
good. The company is producing an expansive line of high quality, multi-purpose
synthetic lubricants and cleaners now being used in a wide range of markets,
from food and beverage, marine and telecommunications, to building maintenance,
public works and transportation. That may be in contrast to what’s happening in
America, but Synco stands by manufacturing.
“A lot of young people coming out of college today may be
discounting manufacturing as a career path because of all the doom and gloom
news and the decline of manufacturing in some of the most visible industries,
the auto industry, for instance,” said Mr. Nuñez. “However, I would say to them,
don’t give up on manufacturing, engineering and some of the industries that
built our nation. There may be more opportunity for them in manufacturing than
on Wall Street today. We are an example of how manufacturing can thrive even
through challenging economic periods.”
What’s ahead for Sal Sr. and Hilda Randisi? Well, they are
still very much hands-on in the company they founded and, just like their
employees are encouraged to do, they regularly offer suggestions to improve
operations and help position the company for decades to come.
For more information, visit:
www.super-lube.com or call: 631-567-5300.
