Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame inductions

Hall of Fame 2009 inductees include foam industry pioneers Beamech Group Limited, a UK-based foam manufacturing equipment company; Warren Neill Pollock, production process innovator; and the late Karl G. Lens, founder of the first vinyl foam company in the USA. His son, Jack Lens, President of Mohawk Carpet Cushion, accepted his father’s posthumous award. The ceremony included a presentation that recognised the historical significance of each of the inductees’ contributions to the foam industry.

The FPF Hall of Fame recognises individuals and corporations who have significantly contributed to the growth and betterment of the flexible polyurethane foam industry in North America.

Brian Blackwell, President of Beamech, accepted the award on behalf of his company. His sons, Beamech executives, Bill and John Blackwell, as well as Vice President, Eric Marsden of LME Beamech, were on hand for the induction.

Details of the three 2009 inductees:

• Pollock was responsible for the design and setup of one of the first commercial flexible polyurethane foam manufacturing operations in the USA, at Curtis Wright Corporation, in the 1950s. After he joined General Foam Fabricators, Inc., he led the development of the round, or cylindrical, foam block that greatly expanded the capabilities of the FPF industry. The capacity to peel continuous thin sheets of foam for laminated fabrics made tremendous savings possible in raw materials and product. He was a leader in flame lamination for applications in automotive seating and textile fabrics. He was considered an astute engineer with a unique ability to apply mechanical engineering solutions to problems in the plant. A graduate in chemical engineering at Tri-State University in Angola, Indiana, and the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, Pollock is a former President of the PFA and a former President of the Carpet Cushion Council.

• Lens founded the company that designed, developed and operated the first commercial vinyl foam production plant in the USA, in 1955. Early in his career, he moved from vinyl to the polyurethane foam business. In 1959, he and his partner, Irving Rifkin, founded Crest Foam Industries, Inc., in Flushing, NY, which produced and peeled thin gauge polyester foam primarily for flame lamination to fabric for the garment industry. Crest Foam, now a division of British Vita, was the second US producer of thermally reticulated foam, and was a dominant regional supplier and one of the most diversified and technologically advanced foam companies in the USA. Under Lens’ ownership, Crest Foam stood out for its rare and impressive technological diversity and range of product offerings. The company was a leader in polyester foams, conventional polyether foams, graft polyol products, bonded foams, high resilience foams (HR) and reticulated foams used in a range of applications from apparel and textiles to packaging, outdoor furniture, filter media and carpet cushion. Lens earned his degree in chemical engineering at City College of New York. He passed away in 2004.

• Beamech Group Limited is based in Manchester, UK, and designs, manufactures and installs flexible foam slabstock equipment. The directors started designing and manufacturing in the 1950s and founded Beamech in 1974. Leon Manufacturing and Equipment, Inc., Delanco, NJ, was acquired in 1987 and is now operated by Brian Blackwell and his sons, Bill Blackwell and John Blackwell. Beamech has been involved in many innovations including early equipment designs to support the continuous processing of flexible PU foam products. Today, the company supplies conventional, Maxfoam, Vertifoam and Ultima foam processing equipment, flat topping systems, bulk tank farm equipment and liquid carbon dioxide systems, as well as rigid foam laminators and rigid slabstock machinery. Beamech was awarded several patents for its processes and equipment, including the continuous variable pressure foaming process and equipment (VPF) and CO2 vertical round block equipment.

Prior inductees to the FPF Hall of Fame have included: Richard Tucker, Walter Baughman, Lou Peters, Bob Volz, Robert Schiffler, Bob Hay, Harry Kushnarov, Herman Stone, Don Bellew, Mobay, Union Carbide and Hennecke.