Background and History

Background

In 1886, a new process was discovered for smelting aluminum. As years progressed, and more uses for the metal evolved, a new industry emerged. The first company to capitalize on this new business market - The Aluminum Company of America (now known as ALCOA) – was formed to meet the new demand.

In the early 1900’s, aluminum powder was mixed with varnish and solvent to create a “paint” which had the unique properties of both corrosion protection and light reflectivity. The problem at that time was the ingredients could not be pre-mixed and supplied in sealed containers without an internal reaction occurring. Put simply, the “mixture” produced hydrogen gas and would “blow the lid off” of any sealed containers.

In 1921, through cooperative research with ALCOA and a company by the name of The Permite Corp. in Cincinnati, OH, a method and process for stabilizing the mixture was achieved. A patent was issued to The Permite Corp. in that same year, and the first ready-mixed aluminum paint became commercially available.

History

In 1967, Permite’s registered trademark and certain assets were acquired by present ownership and company headquarters was moved to Atlanta, GA. Throughout the ensuing years, Permite has expanded into various markets and industries with continued emphasis on research and development. Permite has pioneered the use of the latest resin technology combined with high-performance materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, glass flake, and ceramics to provide leading-edge coating technology, and we have decades of successful results bolstering our position as an industry leader. Our continued success is due in no small part to an extremely dedicated group of employees who share one simple philosophy: “Listen to the customer.” Our accomplishments include a proud association with a broad base of customers you may very well recognize:

Original Equipment Manufacturers:  3M Corporation, A T & T, Bell Helicopter, Bombadair Corp., Carrier Corp., General Electric Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautical, Rockwell International, Siemens-Westinghouse, Trinity Industries.

New Construction and Industrial Maintenance:  CSX Railway, Ciba-Geigy, International Paper Co., Motorola Corp., NASA, Norfolk Southern Railway, Northwest Airlines, Proctor & Gamble, Scott Paper Co., Stone Container Corp., Waste Management Corp., Yamaha Corp.

Concrete, Steel, & Ductile Iron Pipe (and their coating sub-contractors):  Too numerous to list.

Engineering Firms:  City of Chicago (Deep Tunnel Project), Flour Daniel Construction, Jordan Jones & Goulding, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Simons Eastern, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.