Ferro Corporation
Ferro Corporation was incorporated in Ohio in 1919 as an enameling company.
Today, we are a leading producer of specialty materials that are sold to a broad
range of manufacturers who, in turn, make products for many end-use markets.
We operate approximately 36 facilities around the world that manufacture the
following types of performance materials:
·
Frits, porcelain and other glass enamels, glazes, stains, decorating colors,
pigments, inks, polishing materials, specialty dielectrics, electronic glasses,
and other specialty coatings.
We refer to our products as performance materials because we formulate them
to perform specific functions in the manufacturing processes and end products
of our customers. The products we develop often are delivered to our customers
in combination with customized technical service. The value of our products
stems from the benefits they deliver in actual use. We develop and deliver innovative
products to our customers through our key strengths in:
·
Particle Engineering — Our ability to design and produce very small particles
made of a broad variety of materials, with precisely controlled characteristics
of shape, size and size distribution. We understand how to disperse these particles
within liquid, paste and gel formulations.
·
Color and Glass Science — Our understanding of the chemistry required
to develop and produce pigments that provide color characteristics ideally suited
to customers’ applications. We have a demonstrated ability to provide
glass-based coatings with properties that precisely meet customers’ needs
in a broad variety of applications.
·
Surface Chemistry and Surface Application Technology — Our understanding
of chemicals and materials used to develop products and processes that involve
the interface between layers and the surface properties of materials.
·
Product Formulation — Our ability to develop and manufacture combinations
of materials that deliver specific performance characteristics designed to work
within customers’ particular products and manufacturing processes.
We deliver these key technical strengths to our customers in a way that creates
additional value through our integrated applications support. Our applications
support personnel provide assistance to our customers in their material specification
and evaluation, product design and manufacturing process characterization in
order to help them optimize the efficient and cost-effective application of
our products.
We divide our operations into four business units:
Tile Coating Systems
Porcelain Enamel
Performance Colors and Glass
Pigments, Powders and Oxides