Celebrating 100 Years of CHR® Tape
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the CHR Adhesive Tape brand. Founded in 1921 as the
Connecticut Hard Rubber Company (CHR), the New Haven based company quickly became a leading manufacturer of molded hard rubber products. By 1955, CHR Company had become recognized as a leading fabricator of silicone rubber products and was the first commercial fabricator of silicone rubber parts. The company’s focus on customer centricity, innovation and in-depth knowledge of the markets they served allowed CHR Company to expand into a leading manufacturer of pressure sensitive tapes, sponge and solid silicone rubber sheets and silicone and Teflon™ coated fabrics.
CHR Company was comprised of many respected brands including COHRlastic, Strip-N-Stick, Temp-R Glas and Temp-R Tapes. Over the years, ownership changed hands many times until Saint-Gobain purchased the company in 1999 and brought its brands into the Saint-Gobain product portfolio. Today CHR Adhesive Tapes are recognized globally for their exceptional quality, OEM approvals and our capabilities to customize.
To commemorate this milestone, we took a trip down memory lane with Senior Application Engineer Scott Yudkin, who started with CHR Company in 1983.
What was your experience working for CHR Company?
“The culture of CHR Company was very similar to the current one at Saint-Gobain. There were always good working relationships between colleagues, from the top down. I started as a night shift inspector and was given opportunities for growth through mentorship in the company. That’s something we still do today. We also had a volleyball team and a softball team — it’s always been about the people.”
What does the CHR brand of specialty adhesive tapes mean to you?
“CHR Tape is a well-established product line and it’s had a lot of firsts in the tape world, including flame retardant products and white PTFE films. It represents innovation and works to meet the market needs. We’ve fit the niche where we were needed because of R&D capabilities. For me, the brand represents a can-do effort and willingness to think outside the box.”
Can you recall some interesting applications you’ve been involved with?
“Aerospace is a market I’ve always been excited about. From my early days, CHR Tapes were in the space shuttle. With military applications, they come to us for the quality and our commitment to certifications. There’s integrity in our products and the military knows that. Our CHR Tape is in F16s, F18s, F35s. Our [Norseal®] Silicone R10480 is being used in hospital and healthcare respirators because of key properties like clean low outgassing and the best compression resistance in the industry. When customers come to us with challenging projects, we get excited.”
Continuing the Legacy
Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions is proud to carry on the legacy of the Connecticut Hard Rubber Company through a focus on curiosity and innovation, developing expertise and putting our customers and employees at the forefront of everything we do. In recognition of 100 years, we’d like to reference a quote from a 1971 issue of the now-defunct CHR Quarterly which speaks to the longevity of the CHR brand and those, like Scott and countless others at Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions, that have and will be the face of the CHR Tape brand.
“Adaptability to change is more than a matter of expanding plant and equipment. It is the ability to monitor changing markets with a carefully tuned ear ... it is the creative use of modern research and development techniques. But above all, it is an attitude. Subjectively, it is an attitude that resists becoming complacent; objectively, it is accepting the challenges of tomorrow and putting forth the effort to answer them today.”