Sunstrand envisions a world where the products we use every day are made with high-quality, rapidly renewable, and sustainable materials.
Prior to starting Sunstrand, Dr. Riddle founded a successful engineering services firm in an effort to supply innovative design, material evaluations, research, and development services to meet the needs of a growing composites industry. Seeing a burgeoning interest in biocomposites, the team decided to monitor and research the area. The real work began when the firm won a Small Business Innovative Research award from the prestigious National Science Foundation. This work pioneered the extraction of bamboo fiber from raw bamboo cane and the conversion of these fibers to forms compatible with polymer composites. It soon became apparent that there was a need for a reliable supplier of biomaterials that understands the composites industry.
During the summer of 2014, Sunstrand was formed to be the thought leader in the emerging sustainable materials industry by providing biomaterials and processing services. The company is located in Louisville, KY which is in close proximity to both farmers and customers. Sunstrand works with a variety of feedstocks including bamboo, hemp, kenaf, flax, and jute. This variety is why Sunstrand needs a team consisting of Mechanical Engineers, Chemical Engineers, Mechanical Engineering Technologists, Chemists, Material Scientists, and Technicians. The team has highly specialized experience in composites design, manufacturing and testing. They come from broad industries such as wind energy, paper, snowsports, biomass, automotive, academia, and aerospace.
Sunstrand is the preeminent supplier of natural fibers reinforcements and fillers for the plastic and polymer composite industries. Our proprietary production processes ensure product consistency and our cutting edge surface functionalization chemistries create fibers that are compatible with most major resin and manufacturing techniques. Our vertical products have applications in the construction, automotive, electrical and electronics, and recreation industries.
Sunstrand’s mission is to eliminate the use of unsustainable materials in everyday products. Sunstrand partners with companies to incorporate performant, high-quality, and rapidly-renewable materials into their products while partnering with local farming communities to build a reliable and sustainable supply chain.
Environmental Responsibility
Both our customers and our employees greatly value environmental responsibility. That’s why we work closely with farmers to ensure our rapidly renewable resources are cultivated in a way that minimizes environmental impact and optimizes performance and cost.
Community Involvement
We are a North American company that works closely with agriculture. We understand the weight of our impact on local farmers and their communities, so we strive to build upon that impact in positive ways.
A Passion for Innovation
Our team includes thought leaders and subject matter experts at the cutting-edge of materials science. Our innovative attitude compels us to work closely with customers to discover new applications for our rapidly renewable materials, and to improve existing materials and products. We don’t tell customers what they can’t do – we tell them what they can do.
A Trusted Partner
We understand the importance of reliability and trust when choosing a supply chain partner. With four North American manufacturing plants and top engineering talent, we are committed to delivering consistent, reliable materials that meet or exceed your performance expectations, and that enable business and revenue stream growth.
The Highest Quality
Our products and materials always equal or out-perform traditional materials. Quality and performance are non-negotiable. From seeds to harvest, we pay close attention so we always deliver consistent, high-quality products.