Norton Abrasives
Encyclopedia
Norton Abrasives of Worcester, Massachusetts
is the world's largest manufacturer and supplier of abrasive
s for commercial applications, household, and automotive refinishing usage. In 1990 it was purchased by Saint-Gobain
of France
. Norton specializes in the manufacture of abrasive products for applications in the autobody, construction, welding/industry, and marine/composite markets as well as for contractors and DIY
consumers.
to fulfill the burgeoning U.S. manufacturing
industry's growing need for abrasives.
In 1886, employing the help of WPI
student surveyors, the partners built a new factory on the outskirts of Worcester, MA. The factory was not only important to the company for its innovation but also for its proximity to two major railways for shipping. Through the end of the 1890s, corporate decision making proved extremely conservative until it was assured the company would succeed. Until this time, dividends were frequently forewent and many of the owners refused to draw a salary.
Also pivotal to Norton's early growth was a focus on marketing
. The company introduced a series of pamphlets and related literature, which detailed the intricacies of each wheel and advised users on benefits for desired applications. By the mid 1890's, Norton stocked the largest inventory of grinding wheels in the world, subsequently beginning distribution in Chicago
(1887), New York
(1904), and soon after, across Europe
.
One of the largest keys to the growth of the company was Norton's 1900 expansion into the machine tools industry
. Through partnership with Charles H. Norton
, the company founded the Norton Grinding Company division. The company specialized in the production of stationary grinding machines, an alternative to expensive workmen, which were capable of producing high volume, working with extremely heavy materials, and grinding with an unbelievable tolerance. Initially, with minimal product need, Norton's Grinding division saw little success, but the American industrial needs of World War I
and the American automobile industry boom began a period of explosive growth. In 1914, Henry Ford's
purchase of thirty-five Norton Grinders, prompted Ford to remark that "the abrasive processes are basically responsible for our ability to produce cars to sell for less than a thousand dollars. Were it not for these processes these same cars would cost at least five thousand dollars, if indeed they could be made at all." With 95 percent of an automobile's moving parts requiring grinding, the automotive industry soon became Norton's biggest customer. Unfortunately, with a resistance to grinding innovation, Norton gradually lost most of its industry market share by the mid 1950's.
In 1931, Norton completed its first acquisition
, when it purchased the Behr-Manning company of Watervliet, New York
. This purchase added coated abrasives
and sandpaper
to Norton's line, which, going forward, would be two of Norton's more successful products. In the mid 1950's, with sales over $30 million, Behr-Manning was fully absorbed into Norton.
Since 2009, Norton has been a chief sponsor and abrasive supplier for both the United States Men's and Women's Olympic Luge
teams. Both teams competed under Norton sponsorship in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
Norton was also a leader in the design and building of grinding machine
s for mass production
.
s, non-woven abrasives, superabrasives, and specialty non-Abrasive products.
and responsible manufacturing. In 1988, Norton instituted a committed industrial recycling
plan for which it has received numerous awards and accolades. Through a combination of wash cleaning for repeated use and the ability to function without a chemical wash solution, many of Norton's products have been tailored to not only be a greener option but also provide greater longevity to the end user. Also key to the company's environmental commitment, Norton's retail abrasive products are packaged with 100% recycled materials containing 25% post consumer waste
.
More recently as a Saint-Gobain subsidiary
, Norton has made even greater environmental strides in conjunction with its parent company. In 2009, Saint-Gobain was recognized with an Energy Star
Partner of the Year award by the U.S. EPA as well as a Global 100 Sustainable Company designation by the World Economic Forum
. In day to day operations, all North American Saint-Gobain Abrasive plants have completed or are in the process of completing ISO 9000
quality certification and use FSC
paper from well managed forests.
42°18′22"N 71°48′12"W
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
is the world's largest manufacturer and supplier of abrasive
Abrasive
An abrasive is a material, often a mineral, that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads to part of the workpiece being worn away...
s for commercial applications, household, and automotive refinishing usage. In 1990 it was purchased by Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain S.A. is a French multinational corporation, founded in 1665 in Paris and headquartered on the outskirts of Paris at La Défense and in Courbevoie. Originally a mirror manufacturer, it now also produces a variety of construction and high-performance materials.The company has its head...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Norton specializes in the manufacture of abrasive products for applications in the autobody, construction, welding/industry, and marine/composite markets as well as for contractors and DIY
Do it yourself
Do it yourself is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals...
consumers.
Origins and History
Norton Company was founded in 1885 by a group of ceramists and entrepreneurs from Worcester, Massachusetts. The group set out to manufacture the first mass produced, precision made grinding wheelGrinding wheel
A grinding wheel is an expendable wheel that is composed of an abrasive compound used for various grinding and abrasive machining operations...
to fulfill the burgeoning U.S. manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
industry's growing need for abrasives.
In 1886, employing the help of WPI
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities...
student surveyors, the partners built a new factory on the outskirts of Worcester, MA. The factory was not only important to the company for its innovation but also for its proximity to two major railways for shipping. Through the end of the 1890s, corporate decision making proved extremely conservative until it was assured the company would succeed. Until this time, dividends were frequently forewent and many of the owners refused to draw a salary.
Also pivotal to Norton's early growth was a focus on marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
. The company introduced a series of pamphlets and related literature, which detailed the intricacies of each wheel and advised users on benefits for desired applications. By the mid 1890's, Norton stocked the largest inventory of grinding wheels in the world, subsequently beginning distribution in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
(1887), New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(1904), and soon after, across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
One of the largest keys to the growth of the company was Norton's 1900 expansion into the machine tools industry
Machine tool
A machine tool is a machine, typically powered other than by human muscle , used to make manufactured parts in various ways that include cutting or certain other kinds of deformation...
. Through partnership with Charles H. Norton
Charles Hotchkiss Norton
Charles Hotchkiss Norton was an American mechanical engineer and designer of machine tools....
, the company founded the Norton Grinding Company division. The company specialized in the production of stationary grinding machines, an alternative to expensive workmen, which were capable of producing high volume, working with extremely heavy materials, and grinding with an unbelievable tolerance. Initially, with minimal product need, Norton's Grinding division saw little success, but the American industrial needs of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the American automobile industry boom began a period of explosive growth. In 1914, Henry Ford's
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
purchase of thirty-five Norton Grinders, prompted Ford to remark that "the abrasive processes are basically responsible for our ability to produce cars to sell for less than a thousand dollars. Were it not for these processes these same cars would cost at least five thousand dollars, if indeed they could be made at all." With 95 percent of an automobile's moving parts requiring grinding, the automotive industry soon became Norton's biggest customer. Unfortunately, with a resistance to grinding innovation, Norton gradually lost most of its industry market share by the mid 1950's.
In 1931, Norton completed its first acquisition
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
, when it purchased the Behr-Manning company of Watervliet, New York
Watervliet, New York
Watervliet is a city in Albany County in the US state of New York. The population was 10,254 as of the 2010 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, the capital of the state, and is bordered on the north, west, and south by the town of Colonie. The city is also known as "the Arsenal City".- History...
. This purchase added coated abrasives
Coated abrasives
A coated abrasive is an abrasive grain bonded to a flexible substrate using adhesives. Common substrates are paper, cloth, vulcanized fiber, and plastic films and come in grit sizes range from very coarse to ultrafine...
and sandpaper
Sandpaper
Sandpaper, also known as glasspaper, is a heavy paper with abrasive material attached to its surface.Sandpaper is part of the "coated abrasives" family of abrasive products. It is used to remove small amounts of material from surfaces, either to make them smoother , to remove a layer of material...
to Norton's line, which, going forward, would be two of Norton's more successful products. In the mid 1950's, with sales over $30 million, Behr-Manning was fully absorbed into Norton.
Since 2009, Norton has been a chief sponsor and abrasive supplier for both the United States Men's and Women's Olympic Luge
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
teams. Both teams competed under Norton sponsorship in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
Norton was also a leader in the design and building of grinding machine
Grinding machine
A grinding machine, often shortened to grinder, is a machine tool used for grinding, which is a type of machining using an abrasive wheel as the cutting tool...
s for mass production
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
.
Products
Norton's key areas of manufacture in the abrasives market are bonded abrasives, coated abrasiveCoated abrasive
A coated abrasive is an abrasive grain bonded to a flexible substrate using adhesives. Common substrates are paper, cloth, vulcanized fiber, and plastic films and come in grit sizes range from very coarse to ultrafine...
s, non-woven abrasives, superabrasives, and specialty non-Abrasive products.
Environmental Record
Since the mid 1980's, Norton has been an industry leader in abrasives sustainabilitySustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
and responsible manufacturing. In 1988, Norton instituted a committed industrial recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
plan for which it has received numerous awards and accolades. Through a combination of wash cleaning for repeated use and the ability to function without a chemical wash solution, many of Norton's products have been tailored to not only be a greener option but also provide greater longevity to the end user. Also key to the company's environmental commitment, Norton's retail abrasive products are packaged with 100% recycled materials containing 25% post consumer waste
Post-consumer waste
Post-consumer waste is a waste type produced by the end consumer of a material stream; that is, where the waste-producing use did not involve the production of another product....
.
More recently as a Saint-Gobain subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
, Norton has made even greater environmental strides in conjunction with its parent company. In 2009, Saint-Gobain was recognized with an Energy Star
Energy Star
Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products originated in the United States of America. It was first created as a United States government program during the early 1990s, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union have also adopted...
Partner of the Year award by the U.S. EPA as well as a Global 100 Sustainable Company designation by the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
. In day to day operations, all North American Saint-Gobain Abrasive plants have completed or are in the process of completing ISO 9000
ISO 9000
The ISO 9000 family of standards relates to quality management systems and is designed to help organizations ensure they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders . The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and available through National...
quality certification and use FSC
Forest Stewardship Council
The Forest Stewardship Council is an international not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder organization established in 1993 to promote responsible management of the world’s forests. Its main tools for achieving this are standard setting, independent certification and labeling of forest products...
paper from well managed forests.
External links
42°18′22"N 71°48′12"W