The Perfect Mix of Customer Service and Innovation

About Us

Our name is Elite because it defines the ethos of who we are as a company: relentlessly seeking to bring together the best in technology, innovation, agility, operations, and customer service to help our customers achieve elite status in their own businesses.

We Begin and End with Elite Customer Service

It’s how we started as a company, and it’s been the source of every success since.

Everything that sets us apart at Elite, from the state-of-the-art R&D facility for advanced formulations and testing to the deep industry expertise of our engineers and chemists to our utilization of Japanese project management methodologies, is wrapped around the principle of providing the absolute best to you, our customer. Accomplishing that relies entirely on how well we listen and collaborate with you to find the solution that addresses every single one of your needs and concerns.

At Elite, we take customer service to the next level. Our differentiated approach to developing and sustaining customer relationships is rooted in the Japanese concept of omotenashi, “the spirit of selfless hospitality, anticipating needs without having to be asked.” We engage with each customer by listening to their needs and issues, tailoring our solutions to meet their exact formulations, maintaining communication throughout the development process, and delivering the final product to meet their expectations. The Elite team is available to support and answer questions and resolve any customer issues in a timely manner.

An Elite History

Elite Advanced Polymers has been at the forefront of application-driven advanced compounding for over 20 years, since its founding in 2001. Throughout that time our customer relationships have driven us forward, inspiring our innovation and technology advancements. We have a strong heritage of R&D and application-driven advanced custom compounding. Our core competencies have always been listening to the customer and developing custom specialty compounds that fit their specific needs. If you can dream it, we can mix it.

Our Future

Elite’s recent acquisition by DestinHaus Capital has infused the business with innovation expertise, additional working capital, and best in class Japanese manufacturing and quality control practices. Elite now has a bolder growth vision. The business is investing in upgrading its equipment and capabilities to better serve its existing customers and advance into formulating and mixing new materials of the future, for the life sciences and consumer technology industries. We are excited to expand Elite capabilities into new industry segments. Elite is well positioned for its next phase of rapid growth.

Our Vision

We aspire to be the industry’s most trusted partner for advanced materials compounding.

Executive Team

Murli Nathan

Executive Chairman and CEO, Board Member

Murli is a global business leader with a track record of turning around businesses and transforming them into highly profitable global players. He has decades of experience working in Asia, Europe, and Americas, running multinational businesses for BP. Since 2007, as CEO of DestinHaus, he has been advising global corporations, in multiple industries, on Business Strategy, M&A, and Partnerships.

Seiichiro Araki

Executive Vice President, Board Member

Seiichiro has over 20 years of experience working with Sumitomo Corporation in building global businesses in the advanced materials and chemical industry. He has deep knowledge of chemicals and specialty materials utilized across multiple industries. He is experienced in Technology Development, M&A, Partnerships, Growth Strategy, Business Development, and Operations.

Andy Claytor

Vice President Sales

Andy is an accomplished executive with over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, and business development in both the rubber and plastics industry. He has held various positions in multiple companies including Burton Rubber, Preferred Rubber Compounding, HEXPOL Compounding, Teknor Apex, and Alphagary, to develop solutions for technical applications and implement sales plans to achieve growth and profitability. Andy brings strong technical skills, extensive relationships, and leadership experience to lead Elite’s strategic sales and growth in the industry.

Justin Shake

Plant Manager

Justin Shake comes to Elite from a background in Emergency Services. He has leveraged his skills in high pressure situational analysis, critical decision making, and a do or die work ethic, along with his non-typical background to shape a unique perspective on manufacturing and become a valued member of the Elite leadership team. Justin started at Elite Elastomers in 2017 as Special Projects Coordinator researching, planning, and implementing various plant improvement projects. He then took over as Manufacturing Manager, leading the day-to-day operations of the Ripley Mixing Plant. Since the acquisition by DestinHaus Capital, Justin has served as Plant Manager, steering and directing the overall operations of the Ripley campus in Mississippi.

Kevin Glidewell

Purchasing Manager

Kevin Glidewell has over 20 years of experience in purchasing and supply chain management, having worked in a variety of sectors including retail and manufacturing. At Elite, Kevin has overall responsibility for raw materials procurement, supplier relationships, and inbound/outbound logistics along with the management of the warehouse.

Hideyuki Fujiwara

Operations Advisor

Hideyuki has extensive experience in Formulation development, Process Control, and Manufacturing Operations. Hideyuki has been successful in improving operations and optimizing manufacturing processes as an advisor in companies globally including Japan, China, and Canada. He brings his vast knowledge and deep expertise of the best practices in Japanese manufacturing operations to set up Elite as a best-in-class facility for compounding polymers. He formerly worked at Toyoda Gosei in positions of increasing responsibility and has over 25 years of experience in the rubber industry.

Ash Upadhyay

Technical Manager

Ash brings over 25 years of experience in compound development, mixing, lab testing and analysis, quality and process improvement, and project management skills in the manufacturing environment. As Technical Manager at Elite, Ash’s responsibilities include the R&D lab, QC lab, new formulation development, and trouble shooting.

Learn more about the difference Elite can make in your business by getting in touch today.

When performance matters, bring all your custom and specialty polymer compounding needs to Elite Advanced Polymers. From state-of-the-art R&D facilities and testing capabilities to complete flexibility in batch size, lead times, and specialty formulations to a personal focus on customer service, we promise you only the best. Fill out the form below to learn more about making your company truly elite.