This year marks the 70th anniversary for Carboline, a global leader in coatings, linings and fireproofing. Company President and COO Chris Tiernay remarked, "Carboline has achieved this milestone through the hard work and dedication of our employees, partners and our culture of customer service that exists throughout the entire organization, along with many loyal and supportive customers. The company has dedicated itself to years of product innovation and manufacturing efficiencies to provide our customers with the highest-quality products and service." Throughout 2017, Carboline is taking a look at where it started, its achievements and plans for the future.
Beginnings
Carboline was founded in 1947 in St. Louis, when Stanley Lopata developed a prod
uct to solve a problem for a single customer. After 70 years, Carboline is still dedicated and committed to solving customers' problems by providing high-performance coatings, linings and fireproofing products around the world. Since 1947, Carboline has expanded to over 25 manufacturing locations and numerous distribution centers strategically located around the world. In addition, Carboline has one of the most advanced global research and development facilities strictly dedicated to high-performance coatings, linings and fireproofing materials. The state-of-the-art facility located in St. Louis includes world-class development, testing and applications areas. The St. Louis lab serves as a technical hub to regional research and development facilities around the world.
Innovation
For the past 70 years, Carboline has focused on innovation with many breakthrough product developments. In its 70 years, Carboline has launched more than 500 products, including brands such as Bitumastic®, Carboguard®, Carbothane®, Carboxane®, Carbozinc®, Firefilm®, Phenoline®, Plasite®, Polyclad®, Pyrocrete®, Pyroclad®, Reactamine®, Sanitile®, Semstone®, Thermo-Lag®, Thermaline® and more. In the early 1950s, Carboline developed and later patented Carbozinc 11, which revolutionized painting for steel fabrication. Over 60 years later, it is still the premier zinc primer in the industry. In the 1960s, Carboline developed the first epoxy mastic coating, Carbomastic 15. This was the first-ofits- kind maintenance coating that allowed application with minimal surface preparation. Pyrocrete 241, a breakthrough cementitious fireproofing product with outstanding durability, was developed in 1978. Pyrocrete 241 has a proven track record of success being involved in numerous fires without failure and remains the industry standard today. Recent innovations include Carbotherm 551, an insulative epoxy coating that is extremely durable and protects against hot surfaces. Carbotherm 551 has found some unique uses since it was developed in 2016, including protecting asphalt barge decks from the hot temperatures that rise, allowing workers to walk the deck safely and preventing valuable energy from escaping. In 2016, Carboline released Phenoline Tank Shield, an expansion of its comprehensive tank lining product family. Phenoline Tank Shield is a solvent-free single-coat epoxy with fast cure times and fast return-to-service properties. Carboline has always been known for its tank lining technologies. The name Carboline comes from the words "carbon- based lining," so there is a strong history and knowledge. The Plasite and Phenoline families of tank linings are well-respected brands with decades of history and testing in hundreds of commodities.
Reflecting on some of its project achievements over the years, Carboline commemorates products used on iconic projects like NASA's Cape Canaveral Launch Station, Atlanta's Olympic Stadium, and countless other museums, stadiums, refineries, power plants, water tanks and marine vessels.
Customer-centric culture
Over the past 70 years, there have been a few constants at Carboline, and one of them is its focus on the customer. From day one, when founder Lopata created a product to solve a single customer's problem, he laid the groundwork for a culture of putting the customer first. Carboline takes a customer- centric approach in everything it does, from product development to sales. "We differentiate ourselves through our superior customer service. Everyone in every department does what it takes to help solve a customer's problem. The concept is ingrained in each and every employee," said Vice President of Marketing Melissa Bentley.
Carboline also commits itself to advancing education in the corrosion industry through customer schools held at its Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) center in St. Louis. For over 40 years, Carboline has held corrosion schools for customers and employees. The schools offer two days of basic introductory corrosion training on topics such as True Cost of Coatings, Testing of Coatings and Common Coatings Problems/Failures. These free-of-charge schools are a great way to build a basic foundation for those new to the industry. The schools have been widely successful and fill up every time, resulting in Carboline increasing the offering to four per year starting this year. In addition to the corrosion schools, Carboline hosts industrial and commercial fireproofing schools twice a year to train and certify customers on applying intumescent and cementitious products. The fireproofing schools are a combination of hands-on applications and classroom lessons. In addition to increasing the number of schools in 2017, Carboline will debut a tank lining school in the fall. The tank lining school will also be a combination of hands-on and practical learning, where customers will learn how to specify and apply the proper linings for different commodities.
"We strongly believe in advancing education in the industry and are pleased to offer our customers a facility and the resources to broaden their knowledge," said Tiernay. "It is important to train the next generation, and we have committed to continue this in the future."
Valuing employees
Carboline does not just treat its customers well but also values its employees, which is evident in the tenure found throughout the organization. When it comes to U.S. employees alone, 14 percent have over 20 years of service at Carboline, and almost 10 percent have been there longer than 25 years. What this means is that there is a tremendous knowledge base and a group of people that work well together at the company. Carboline has been named one of the best places to work in St. Louis for two years in a row, an honor voted on by the employees themselves. When some long-term employees were asked to describe the culture of Carboline, the same word came up time and time again: "family." There are always events and activities Carboline employees are participating in together: various fundraisers, walks, kickball and softball tournaments, and so many others. Carboline employees are a tight-knit, passionate group dedicated to the company and to each other.
New beginnings
Although Carboline has strong ties to its history, it is also progressing forward to keep the company strong. In October 2016, Carboline announced Tiernay as its new president and COO. He has been in the coatings industry for over 30 years and brings strong business acumen along with industry experience to the company. Since Tiernay has taken on the leadership position, he has committed himself to maintaining the great Carboline culture of innovation, customer-centricity and a strong entrepreneurial spirit.
"A team of dedicated and passionate people is something you cannot teach or buy. I am excited to come into a company with such a strong culture, and I do not want to disrupt that," said Tiernay. "I am focusing on creating a concrete strategy that these dedicated employees can embrace that will ensure success into the future."
Since becoming president, Tiernay has put a major emphasis on safety, specification selling and innovation to be a market leader in technology. In January, the RD&I center underwent a significant renovation that included improving safety conditions in the entire facility, improving branding and several building upgrades. All of the efforts resulted in a grand reopening of the RD&I facility Jan. 25 that was attended by all Carboline employees, the city mayor and local media. The St. Louis county executor also recognized Carboline for its 70 years as a St. Louis-based company and proclaimed the day "Carboline Day" in the city. Tiernay stated, "This grand reopening signifies Carboline's commitment to innovation in the coatings industry. We are very proud of our world-class research and development facility that allows us to develop industry-changing products and technology for years to come."
Acquisitions
Part of Carboline's strategy for growth is through acquisitions. The most recent acquisition is SPC (Specialty Polymer Coatings), a Canadian company that specializes in premium pipeline coatings. For more than 25 years, SPC has been a dominant player and well-respected brand in the oil and gas pipeline industry. Its products are widely specified and highly regarded for their performance, quality, technology and superior field technical service.
The acquisition will allow Carboline and SPC to better serve their customers in the oil and gas pipeline market through a combination of technology and service locations. SPC will extend its service model through Carboline's large global sales force and numerous distribution locations to better reach customers. "SPC has a wealth of experience and technology specifically designed for the oil and gas pipeline industry. We are excited about teaming up with SPC to bring more value to our customers," said Carboline Director of Global Product Line Doug Moore.
Looking into the future
Carboline will continue to focus on and invest in innovation, believing it is the key to future success. "We will keep investing in our research facilities and the right RD&I talent in order to secure Carboline as the leader in innovation in the protective coatings industry," said Tiernay. "New product development is critical to remaining viable and competitive in our industry." Carboline is proud of its 70-year history and is excited to celebrate many more company milestones.
For more information, visit www. carboline.com or call (314) 644-1000.
