TSE Industries Through the Years

• Walter and Helen Klingel, with their two sons, Walter Jr. and Rob, moved from New Jersey to St. Petersburg, Florida, seeking warmer weather and new opportunities. Facing a local recession, Walter Sr. sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door while searching for a new path forward.

• With their last $2,000, Walter and Helen founded Technical Sales Co., specializing in industrial plastics for Florida’s growing aerospace and citrus industries. The company generated $12,000 in its first year.

• Walter Jr. joined part-time in 1962 while earning a business degree at the University of South Florida. By 1966, he became Administrative and Sales Manager, focusing on industrial plastics.
• By 1968, sales reached $140,000, prompting a shift from distribution to manufacturing to support growing demand.

• Seeing new opportunity in polyurethane, Walter Sr. founded Liberty Rubber Company, producing urethane parts and processing a range of elastomers including neoprene, nitrile, SBR, silicone, and Viton.
• Sales climbed to $380,000, and that same year, Rob Klingel joined the family business after earning his BS in Biology and Chemistry from Elon College, taking the lead in manufacturing operations and elastomer R&D.

• With sales nearing $1 million, TSE acquired the urethane manufacturing division of Witco Chemical Corporation, launching the Millathane brand for internal part production. By 1978, sales hit $1.6 million. A dedicated Millathane plant opened in 1980 with advanced computerized systems.

• Sales grew to $3.6 million, prompting the acquisition of a rubber extrusion department from Oliver Rubber Company, making TSE the only rubber extrusion operation in Florida. TSE also purchased its first injection rubber molding press to serve U.S. Air Force contracts.

• With sales at $4.6 million, TSE moved to a new 61,000 sq. ft. facility in Clearwater and officially rebranded as TSE Industries Inc.

TSE Industries Logo Circa 1984

• Nike tasked TSE with developing a clear polyurethane for Air Jordan sneaker soles. TSE created Millathane 88, selling 1.5 million pounds in 1989 and larger orders in 1990. Sales peaked at $17 million in 1990. Anticipating market volatility, TSE reinvested profits into new business ventures.

• Walter Jr. retired, and Robert Klingel officially stepped in as president, ushering in a new era of leadership. That year, TSE introduced Crystal, an innovative water-based mold release agent in response to new environmental regulations. The product quickly proved a market success, surpassing $1 million in its first year. Further solidifying its industry leadership, TSE became the largest U.S. producer of reactive hot melt adhesives through a Fortune 500 toll manufacturing agreement, supplying moisture-cured adhesives to the automotive, RV, and construction industries.

• In 1994, TSE purchased 15 acres and a 45,000-square-foot facility to keep up with the booming Plastics and Rubber Divisions. The company hit 180 employees, expanded to over 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space, and reached $26 million in sales. That same year, TSE made a bold acquisition, purchasing Bristol Myers Squibb’s CPT division, bringing C-Flex — a thermoplastic elastomer used in medical tubing — into its product lineup. CPT made an immediate impact, with first-year sales exceeding $1 million. In 1997, Rob Klingel Jr. joined CPT as a process operator, setting the stage for a future leadership role as production manager by 2005.

• TSE expanded to over 200 employees, 200,000 sq. ft. of space, and $41 million in sales. Founder Walter Sr. passed away at age 86. Robert Klingel assumed full leadership as president, with the company carrying forward Walter Sr.’s personal motto and guiding principle: “Treat others the way you would want to be treated.” This philosophy, rooted in Walter Sr.’s values, continues to shape TSE’s culture and customer relationships today.

• The third generation of Klingels joined TSE: Richard entered the Specialty Chemical Division, and Brad joined the Engineering Polymer Division. In 2002, TSE acquired Crompton’s competing polyurethane product line, strengthening its position in the global Millathane market. That same year, TSE established TSE-OK LLC, a joint venture with Germany’s Okulen, to manufacture UHMWPE sheets for packaging, food, and medical markets. By 2006, TSE employed 220 people and achieved $57 million in annual sales.

• TSE marked its 50th anniversary, celebrating five decades of steady growth with two Clearwater plants, over 200,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space, and 235 employees. During this milestone year, Rob Klingel Sr. retired, passing the torch to the third generation of Klingels — Rob Jr., Richard, and Brad — who assumed leadership roles, proudly continuing the company’s legacy as a family-owned and operated manufacturing business.

• TSE launched WHK, a new division honoring founders Walter and Helen Klingel. Built on the legacy of the company’s CPT division, which had specialized in medical-grade thermoplastic elastomer tubing since 1994, WHK was created to expand TSE’s presence in the one-time-use disposable medical products industry.

• TSE also acquired full ownership of TSE-OK LLC, buying out German partner Okulen’s shares and transforming the joint venture into a 100% TSE-owned subsidiary. This strategic move gave TSE full control over the production of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) sheets, strengthening its position in the packaging, food, and medical industries and reinforcing the company’s commitment to vertical integration and long-term market growth.

• TSE Industries expanded its Clearwater campus by acquiring three additional buildings, including a modern administration office and two warehousing facilities. This strategic growth increased total facility space beyond 200,000 sq. ft., strengthened infrastructure, and centralized management operations to better support a growing 250-employee workforce. The expansion reinforced TSE’s operational capacity, enhanced logistics, and aligned with its long-term vision for continued growth under the leadership of the third-generation Klingel family.

• TSE rebranded its wholly owned plastics subsidiary, TSE-OK LLC, as Duro-Glide, reflecting the division’s evolution and expanded focus on high-performance UHMWPE sheet solutions for industries like packaging, food processing, medical, and material handling.

• TSE achieved a major milestone, surpassing $100 million in annual sales for the first time in its history. This landmark reflected the company’s diversified product portfolio, operational resilience, and enduring commitment to customer partnerships and market leadership.

• TSE significantly expanded its Specialty Chemicals Division, adding six new reactors to increase production capacity to 18 reactors. This strategic investment supported growing demand for advanced CASE products and reinforced the company’s leadership in contract manufacturing and sustainable polymer-based solutions.

• From a modest start in a 500-square-foot warehouse, TSE Industries has grown into a leader in custom rubber manufacturing, plastics fabrication, and specialty chemicals. Guided by three generations of Klingel family leadership, TSE remains committed to innovation, operational excellence, and customer partnerships. Focused on expanding its diversified product portfolio, advancing sustainable solutions, and investing in next-generation technologies, TSE is poised to continue its legacy of growth and leadership for decades to come.