News

Melsur Uses Reprocessed Wood in Tabletops & School Furniture
October16, 2001

BELLOWS FALLS, VT — Melsur Corporation is now using 100% reprocessed wood products in its classroom furniture and tabletop products, says Marc Fillion, Environmental, Health & Safety Manager for the Vermont manufacturing firm.

"Wood is the primary ingredient in our classroom furniture and tabletop products," Fillion says. "We think the commitment to using all reprocessed wood makes sense for the environment and our business.

"Many of our customers are educating their students on the value of the environment. We also believe in protecting our resources. Through our commitment to using reprocessed wood, we believe we can have a meaningful impact."

Melsur tabletops and classroom furniture components are made with reprocessed maple and birch wood flour mixed with melamine resin, then heated in molds under high pressure.

Designed for high-traffic commercial and institutional use, Melsur's tabletops and classroom furniture components are virtually indestructible and easy to clean. They are available in a variety of colors and finishes: wood-grain, marble, composite, solid or patterned colors. Starter sample kits of finished tabletops and classroom furniture components can be ordered for prototyping and testing.

Melsur Corporation is the world's leading OEM supplier of hard-plastic molded melamine components for the school-furniture industry and durable tabletops for commercial use. Melsur supplies reprocessed wood components to Artco-Bell, Capitol, Columbia, KI, Royal, Scholar Craft, School Specialty and Virco.

Melsur's New Seamless Tabletop Eliminates De-lamination
September 6, 2001

BELLOWS FALLS, VT — Melsur Corporation's new line of durable high-performance tabletops are molded as a single unit with seamless edges that eliminate de-lamination.

Seamless construction halts de-lamination, chipping, and bacterial growth. Melsur tabletops also are more aesthetically appealing and easy to clean. They're resistant to household and commercial cleaning solvents, and highly sanitary under the most demanding conditions.

Designed for high-traffic commercial and institutional use, Melsur tabletops come in a range of colors and finishes: wood-grain, marble, composite, solid or patterned colors. Made for use with most table bases, the tabletops will be manufactured in Bellows Falls, VT, and Melsur's new state-of-the-art 90,000 square foot compression-molding facility in Birmingham, AL.

"The molded one-piece design eliminates all concerns related to seams in tabletops," says Doug Jeff, Melsur's technology spokesperson. "The high-pressure molding process creates a tabletop that is virtually indestructible and is easy to clean."

Melsur tabletops are made with reprocessed maple and birch wood flour mixed with melamine resin, then heated in molds under high pressure. Starter sample kits can be ordered for prototyping and testing.

Melsur Corporation, headquartered in Bellows Falls, VT, is the world's leading OEM supplier of hard-plastic molded melamine components for the school-furniture industry and durable tabletops for commercial use. Melsur also supplies school-desk components to Artco-Bell, Capitol, Columbia, Royal, Scholar Craft, School Specialty and Virco.

Melsur Introduces New Durable High-Performance Molded Tabletops
August 15, 2001

BELLOWS FALLS, VT - Melsur Corporation introduces a new line of extremely durable high-performance tabletops designed especially for high-traffic commercial and institutional settings.

Available in a wide range of colors and finishes - wood-grain, marble, composite, solid or patterned colors - the virtually indestructible tabletops are molded from wood flour and melamine resin. Their solid one-piece construction makes them easy to clean and highly sanitary under the most demanding conditions.

Designed for use with most table bases, the tabletops will be manufactured in Bellows Falls, VT, and Melsur’s new state-of-the-art 90,000 square foot compression-molding facility in Birmingham, AL.

Melsur tabletops are a completely finished product, requiring no downstream fabrication.

“This is a revolutionary new tabletop that represents the finest value in the market,” says Jondi Holt, director of marketing and sales for Melsur Corporation. “It will quickly become the tabletop of choice for design flexibility and product durability.”

Melsur tabletops are fabricated using reprocessed maple and birch wood flour mixed with melamine resin, then heated in molds under high pressure to produce virtually indestructible tabletops, and student-desk tops, seats and backs. School furniture products are also available in a wide choice of colors and wood-grain patterns.

Melsur Corporation, headquartered in Bellows Falls, VT, is the world’s leading OEM supplier of hard-plastic molded melamine components for the school-furniture industry and durable tabletops for commercial use. Melsur supplies school-desk components to Artco-Bell, Capitol, Columbia, KI, Royal, Scholar Craft, School Specialty and Virco.

Melsur Names Management Team at New Plant Near Birmingham
June 27, 2001

Melsur Corporation, the world’s leading supplier of hard-plastic molded melamine components for the school-furniture industry and durable tabletops for commercial use, has named the management team for its new manufacturing plant near Birmingham.

General Manager is Steve Hagood, 38, of Tuscaloosa, AL. Former Plant Manager for Fruit of the Loom in Aliceville, AL, Hagood is a 1988 industrial management graduate of the University of Alabama.

Manufacturing Engineering Manager is Douglas Jeff, 51, of Birmingham, AL. Jeff formerly was Engineering Project Manager of United Chair Company in Leeds, AL, and at Chromcraft in Senatobia, MS. He graduated from Auburn University in 1973 with a degree in industrial design.

Randall “Scott” Ashley, 29, of Douglas, GA, was appointed Maintenance Manager. Formerly Maintenance Manager of Tecumseh Products and Foundry Manager at PCC Airfoils in Douglas, GA, Ashley is a 1994 industrial technology graduate of Mississippi State University.

“We selected outstanding leaders with excellent experience for our Birmingham operation,” said Melsur Chairman and CEO Hurley Blakeney. “Their immediate assignment is to work with our contractor, Henry Tyler, to make sure that our new facility reflects the latest design and technology. They will also begin selecting and hiring the best available employees in the Birmingham area. We are very impressed by the people we’ve met in Alabama and expect great results.”

Steve Hagood said, “We’re looking for the best employees in the area. Melsur is the leader in top-quality classroom furniture components and tabletops because of its commitment to people and productivity. The company is a great addition to Alabama’s industrial base.” He says Melsur is now accepting applications for Maintenance Supervisor.

Melsur’s production capacity will more than double once its new 90,000-sq-ft, steel and block wall plant on 7.3 acres in Tarrant, AL, is online in December. Melsur is the largest OEM supplier of solid-material school desk components to firms such as Artco-Bell, Capitol, Columbia, Royal, Scholarcraft, School Specialty and Virco.

Melsur To Double Capacity With New Plant Near Birmingham
June 6, 2001

Melsur Corporation, the world’s leading supplier of hard-plastic molded melamine components for the school-furniture industry and durable tabletops for commercial use, is building a 90,000-sq-ft manufacturing plant near Birmingham, AL.

The 30-year-old Vermont-based firm, with plants in Bellows Falls and Brattleboro, VT, expects its production capacity to more than double once its new plant on 7.3 acres in Tarrant, AL, is online in December, says Melsur Chairman and CEO Hurley Blakeney.

“As school districts, colleges and universities build new facilities and refurbish classrooms, we’ll be ready,” Blakeney says. “Our expansion will provide a ready supply of solid components for classroom and institutional furniture.”

Melsur is building its new plant near Birmingham because of the region’s exceptional workforce and strategic location, allowing the firm to cut shipping costs of deliveries to its customers, 60 percent of whom are in the southern states.

“Melsur will have a positive impact on the Birmingham area’s economy,” Blakeney says. “We anticipate hiring locally about 150 people for our Tarrant plant.”

Melsur is the largest OEM supplier of solid-material school desk components to firms such as Artco-Bell, Capitol, Columbia, Royal, Scholarcraft, School Specialty and Virco.

Forty new state-of-art compression-molding presses, valued at $4 million and made by C.A. Lawton Co. of Green Bay, WI, will be shipped to the new plant, capable of producing components for more than 700,000 school desks per year. Reprocessed Maple and Birch wood flour is mixed with melamine resin, then heated in molds under high pressure to produce virtually indestructible tabletops, and student-desk seats and backs.