Company Profile | November 13, 2000

Kemlite Company, Inc., A Crane Co. Company

Source: Kemlite Company, Inc., A Crane Co. Company
Kemlite Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Crane Co. Founded in 1855, Crane Co. is composed of 26 separate businesses organized into five industry segments: fluid handling, aerospace, controls, merchandising systems, and engineered materials which includes Kemlite Company. Crane Co., based in Stamford, Connecticut employs over 9,000 people in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Listed on the New York stock exchange, Crane Co, generated sales in 1999 were more than $1.5 billion.

Kemlite Company was founded in 1954 and is currently the world's largest manufacturer of fiberglass reinforced plastic (frp) panels. In 1979, Kemlite became a wholly owned subsidiary of UniDynamics Corporation of Stamford, Connecticut. Crane Co. acquired UniDynamics and all of its subsidiaries in 1985.

Kemlite continued its upward move with the acquisition of the Filon manufacturing facility in Jonesboro, Arkansas in 1993. Kemlite acquired building products competitor, Sequentia, Inc. in 1998.

Since its inception, Kemlite has pioneered products into industrial and commercial applications with new technology resulting in patents and consistent leadership. The emphasis today has broadened to include three national and international market areas, namely:

  • Transportation Trailers, Containers and Truck Products
  • Commercial, Industrial and Residential Building Products
  • Recreational Vehicle Products

Through leadership and cooperative efforts, Kemlite has grown from a modest beginning of three employees to manufacturing sites in Joliet, Illinois; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Houston, Texas; Bolivar, Tennessee; Grand Junction, Tennessee with over 700 employees worldwide.