Uneeda customers swear by both the company and its abrasive products. To get a line on the company and a bit of its history, I had a chat with the president, Bruce Fuchs.
"The company was founded by my father, Herman Fuchs, in 1967," Bruce told me, "and he is still the chairman today. I became President, handling day-to-day operations, after working there for more than a decade. My father, Herman, had a background in woodworking, as did his father, a woodworker who came over from Eastern Europe in the late '50s, finished school here and got a job with a company that sold abrasives."
 "Herman hooked up with the Ekamant product line, a Swedish company that has manufactured products specifically for woodworking since 1927. Uneeda is now the exclusive distributor for Ekamant in North America. Prior to 1967, Ekamant had no presence in the United States, but Herman felt the quality was very good and he felt the woodworking niche was one that was comfortable for him."
"When Herman started the business, he was working out of his uncle's facility, which manufactured store fixtures. The store fixture company was called Uneeda, though I don't know why or where the name came from. He incorporated under the name Uneeda Enterprizes to distinguish it from the store fixture business, but they continued to share some facilities. Back in those days, there was a Uneeda doll company, a Uneeda biscuit company - it was not an unusual name." In fact, if you Google 'Uneeda Enterprises, with an 's' instead of a 'z,' you get an entirely unrelated company that sells cleaning products.
 "Our current headquarters is located in Spring Valley, NY which is 35 miles north of Manhattan housed in a 60,000 square foot facility with about 100 employees handling thousands of products. In terms of manufacturing, we import master rolls of abrasives and convert them into wide belts, narrow belts, discs, sheets, brushes, mops, sanding sponges and even non-woven abrasive pads. Four warehouses around the country support the distribution network and drop ship to customers directly."
 I asked Bruce what was different about the sandpaper he sells. "Our paper contains a more consistent abrasive that yields a higher quality finish," he explained, "and the  paper lasts longer as well. Ekamant uses the best quality grit, resins and backings, and their manufacturing technology allows them to be extremely consistent, resulting in very high quality abrasive products. The proof is in the pudding; some of the largest kitchen cabinet and hardwood floor manufacturers are using our products, and it is not because we are less expensive. We sell to some of the biggest names in the industry in cabinets, flooring, furniture, the automotive industry, music industry, boating industry and many others."
"We are very excited about our new products EKAFORCE & EKASTORM. EKASTORM is designed for sanding of wood and other resinous materials. With a strong and flexible C-Weight paper backing, it is suited for all flat and curved surfaces. EKASTORM is coated with durable Aluminum Oxide grain in a semi-open configuration yielding superior life. A special anti-clogging treatment reduces heat and minimizes loading to produce an optimal finish. EKAFORCE is designed for sanding and polishing of metal and fiberglass with a special focus on Automotive Body Repair. Coated on a strong and flexible B-Weight paper backing, EKAFORCE can withstand severe applications while maintain the flexibility required for sanding of body profiles and other intricate areas. EKAFORCE is coated with a durable Aluminum Oxide grain in an open configuration to prevent premature clogging and yield superior life. A special anti-clogging treatment helps to further reduce loading while offering a very uniform finish."
Until recently, abrasives were either cloth-backed or paper-backed. Within the past decade or so, people started putting grit onto polyester film backings. The problem with cloth is that because it is woven, it has peaks and valleys. That means the grit is not at as consistent a height. On a smoother surface, like paper or film, the grit tips are more consistent, which gives you a more consistent scratch pattern. When disc sanding, the film gives you the strength of cloth with the superior finish quality of paper. Film is much stronger than paper, and is less likely to tear. In short, it offers the advantages of both, giving you both a more consistent scratch pattern and longer abrasive life.
I asked Bruce what sets Uneeda apart from other abrasives suppliers. "We sell only superior quality abrasives," Bruce pointed out, "no matter where you buy it. That's not necessarily true for the entire industry. Some companies sell different qualities of papers to different buyer markets."
"If quality matters to you, contact Uneeda and we'll direct you to our nearest distributor. It's easy to buy from us, and we think you'll appreciate the difference."
Written By Ira Geller, Marketing Manager Uneeda Enterprizes, Inc. |
Over the years our customers have asked many technical questions about our products, applications, and general sanding advice. Uneeda thought others could benefit from the answers to many of these important questions. 
