THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 2, 1995 TAG: 9503310291
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
The truck sat glistening in the sun, a 1995 Ford Eddie Bauer designer model.
Loaded with every option imaginable, it cost as much as a small house. Like every other pickup, its cavernous cargo bed stretched out behind the cab seemingly forever.
The cargo bed, though, can be a pickup's greatest strength and its worst weakness. While providing space for hauling, the bed can quickly show wear and tear inflicted upon it by everything from furniture to firewood, gravel to groceries.
Various bed liners have been available as after-market items for years, but over time they can warp, crack and trap moisture underneath, contributing to the deterioration they were intended to prevent.
Better protection for truck beds is finally available, says John ``JJ'' Johnson, sales manager for Productive Engineering, a Norfolk company trading as American Stripping.
Started five years ago as a small sandblasting operation by two ex-Navy men (Todd Randall and Tracy McManus of Virginia Beach), the firm has found a niche in blasting, coating and corrosion control, primarily for industrial clients. Now, says Johnson, they are ready to take the retail pickup truck market by storm.
``We're Rhino Linings Of Virginia,'' explained Johnson. ``Rhino Linings are sprayed-on truck bed liners made of polyurethane that adhere right to the metal. They are highly resistant to impact or abrasion, won't crack, and are suitable through a wide range of temperatures. Plus, unlike other liners, we can mix pigments into the compound to make them any color the customer wants. If the customer can furnish the color code for the vehicle, we can match it.''
The specific mix of polymers used in Rhino Linings, called Tough Stuff, was developed in South Africa for use in the mining industry, Randall said. The product became available in the United States about 10 years ago when a company was set up to manufacture and market it in San Diego. American Stripping became a dealership, one of about 150 nationwide, in August 1994. The nearest others are in Baltimore and Charlotte.
Johnson, a Virginia Beach resident, claims there's nothing else like it in town.
An olive utility vehicle outside is one of more than 15 vehicles they have done for the Navy.
Rhino Linings' applications have ranged from truck beds to horse trailers, road sweepers, tanks and tuna boats.
The company's price list has a basic pickup bed liner ranging from $349 to $399 depending on the size. Add-ons, such as covering to the edge or over the rails or colors, standard or custom (the basic color is black), can add $39 to $239 to the job. Johnson said the average order costs about $380.
``It takes one day,'' he said. ``Drop the vehicle off in the morning and pick it up the next day. It's warranted for however long you own the truck. It is repairable if the vehicle is in an accident. And it adds to the vehicle's value at resale.''
Johnson is confident, given the number of pickups and new truck sales in the area, that the product will find a ready market. He and Randall are already talking about opening a smaller facility on the Peninsula devoted exclusively to Rhino Linings and, perhaps, a third one ``near the dealership gauntlet on Virginia Beach Boulevard.''
Such plans don't sound far-fetched. In 1991, American Stripping moved from its original 3,000-square-foot location to its present location on West 39th Street where it has gradually filled 30,000 square feet.
Randall estimated that Rhino Linings currently accounts for about 8 percent of the company's business. He'd like to grow it to at least 15 percent. Johnson expects it to go higher.
``Of all the trucks we've put Rhino Linings in,'' he points out, ``we haven't had one fail.'' MEMO: For more information about Rhino Linings, call American Stripping at
440-1800. by CNB