Important Product Update:
Regent Series Wheel Upgrades Coming Soon!
As you may recall, last year we added six new injection molding machines to our highly automated Monette, AR plant to increase both efficiency and capacity. This investment opened up new opportunities for further advancement to our USA-made wheel offering, including an exciting upgrade we are sharing with you today regarding Shepherd Regent TPR and TPU wheels.
The upgrade consists of moving the Regent’s: TPR, TPU, and polyolefin wheels into our Monette operations and upgrading the materials on TPR and TPU wheels to our advanced house monoprene and TPU formulations. This will provide huge performance upgrades, all at no extra cost.
What is changing and will I notice anything different?
• The change in TPR wheels is the biggest upgrade, moving from harder durometer treads (40D on 2” and 3”) to a softer 65A advanced monoprene across all sizes—capable of shedding debris, providing better traction, and ultimately better floor protection.
• TPU wheels will also advance to our proven formulation at no additional cost.
• Polyolefin wheels are of the same design and material, the only difference being the marks mentioned in the bullet that follows.
• All wheels will now include “MADE IN USA” in the cores and date stamps for quality control. TPR and TPU tread profiles have also been slightly modified to take advantage of the new material benefits.
When will we see these new wheels in production?
• As this is a running change, you will see the new wheels phased in at different times over the following months. Based on our analysis, the new wheels will begin to transition into production as outlined below:
• TPR: 3”, 4”, and 5” will transition mid/late October 2020; the 2” in December; and 2.5” in Q1, 2021
• TPU: 3” in early October 2020; 2”, 4”, and 5” in November/December; and 2.5” in Q1, 2021
• Polyolefin: November/December 2020
• Although differences are slight, our teams will ensure no order is mixed with legacy and new wheels for TPR and TPU wheel orders.
Important note: these wheel upgrades will also take place in the Shepherd 00 Series and Monarch Series wheels, timing will follow closely to what is outlined above for the Regent Series.
If you would like samples or want to discuss critical release schedules, please contact your Colson Group sales representative for support. We hope both you and your customers enjoy these performance upgrades on this trusted USA-made series.
