ABOUT

Our roots are in roofing

There was a time when the standard for modern commercial roofing systems was built-up roofing (BUR). It was used by the world’s best builders, but BUR roofing systems were heavy, complex, difficult to repair and susceptible to extreme temperatures. In Europe, a small group of innovative chemists, inventors and builders who appreciated the benefits of asphalt on flat roofs thought there had to be a better way and developed one.

That system — modified bitumen, which uses polymers to overcome the handicaps of BUR — was such an improvement it became and still is the world’s standard in commercial roofing.

Our pioneering heritage

One of those early pioneers was Marco Danese, born in 1940 in Italy to a manufacturing family. After studying economics at the University of Bologna, Marco joined his father’s rockwool insulation business. The manufacturing process involved extruding the insulation in continuous panels that were then laminated onto bitumen-coated paper for ease of application. The product’s use was limited because bitumen-coated paper producers could produce only very short, 20-meter rolls. Marco solved the problem by inventing a rewinder to produce continuous rolls — something that would soon change the trajectory of an entire industry.

In 1961, based on his experience in rockwool insulation, Marco founded Nord Bitumi in Verona, Italy, to design and manufacture bituminous polymer membranes for use in commercial roofing systems. As we now know, rolled roofing, as it is also called, relies on continuous rolls made possible by Marco’s rewinder. 

Nord Bitumi was so successful it expanded to six manufacturing plants in three countries before Marco moved his family and business to the United States.

Are you looking for a polymer to improve your product performance but are concerned about compatibility with your equipment? Email us or call (478) 781-9488.

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A family-owned business.

In 1981, Marco opened his first Nord Bitumi U.S. location in Plattsburgh, New York. In 1983, he opened the facility in Macon, Georgia, which became the Nord Bitumi U.S. headquarters. In 1996, he sold Nord Bitumi to Johns Manville and in 1998 started General Polymers in Macon. Stefano Danese joined the company in 2008. In 2013, for strategic purposes, the name was changed to SD Polymers.

Always a family-owned business, we’ve helped manufacturers recycle and divert millions of pounds of their waste streams from landfills. We originally focused on supplying nonwoven polyester mat and densified polypropylene made from recycled post-industrial plastic waste to a wide range of commercial roofing manufacturers, primarily in Latin America. Over time, we expanded our offerings to include fiberglass mat and materials for TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) membrane roofing applications.

Services

Today, we provide: 

  • Post-industrial and post-consumer plastic recycling 
  • Plastic extrusion and compounding for modified bitumen roofing systems 
  • Extrusion and compounding for other plastic industrial applications
  • Industrial rubber recycling 
  • Roll converting 
  • Fiberglass and polyester mats
  • Toll services
  • No-cost, no-obligation analyses of recycling and waste management programs

Like our pioneering founder, we are committed to developing innovative, sustainable solutions that will help you make the most of your plastic and rubber production waste and use our custom compounds to make your products better, faster and more cost-effectively.

Our customers

  • Commercial roofing roll manufacturers
  • Industrial plastic product manufacturers
  • Non-tire rubber compounders and molders

Facilities

Headquartered in Macon, Georgia:

  • 230,000+ square-foot warehouse to store and process materials
  • Full-scale laboratory for R&D, raw material and finished goods testing
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