Rutherford B. Hayes was president and Thomas Edison was granted a patent for the phonograph the year two Akron-area businessmen, J. Martin Beck and Edward G. Kubler, founded APV Engineered Coatings under the name Akron Varnish Works. From a small manufacturing site in the heart of downtown Akron, the company produced a small line of wood varnishes and black enamels for a variety of goods.
Today, 140 years after its 1878 founding, the company that is now APV Engineered Coatings has evolved to become one of the nationโs leading manufacturers and engineers of niche industrial coatings and advanced chemical products for factory- and field-applied applications. The company also contract-manufactures products for some of the largest paint and coating manufacturers. APV creates products that touch virtually every aspect of peopleโs lives.
โWe are proud of our roots in Akron and in our continued growth as we invent, manufacture and provide unique solutions for just about every industry on the planet, from aerospace and automotive, to building products, government applications, and other niche markets,โ said Thomas Venarge, President, APV Engineered Coatings.
Early Growth
Two seminal events in the transportation industry fueled the companyโs growth around the turn of the 20th century: the 1893 invention of the โsafety bicycleโ and the introduction of Fordยฎโs Model-T in 1912. APV reaped the benefits of the bicycle boom as more than half of the nationโs bikes were finished with enamel from Akron Varnish Works.
The company also enjoyed outstanding prosperity supplying a black โJapanโ, a high-temperature baking enamel that provided a shiny aesthetic to the Fordยฎ Model-T.
In 1912, the company moved from downtown Akron to its current site in South Akron, where over the years, it has increased its footprint, adding laboratory, warehouse and office space. In 1935, company stockholders changed the firmโs name to The Akron Paint & Varnish Company to reflect its new line of paints and varnishes and expanding sales into the tire industry, airline industry and products for government applications.
A New Identity
In 1982, David Venarge purchased Akron Paint & Varnish and became the companyโs president. The company started focusing more on the engineered coatings market and in the 1990s, once again altered its name to APV Engineered Coatings, a fitting recognition for its continued research, development and engineering orientation. In 2010, David Venarge became Chairman of APV and appointed Thomas Venarge as president.
โOur philosophy is simple: mutually beneficial partnerships,โ said Thomas Venarge. โWe work as true partners with our customers, providing not only advanced industrial coating and chemical formulations, but also custom equipment engineering, contract manufacturing and global product distribution. Weโre ready for any challenge and enjoy working with our customer partners from the R&D stage, to testing and production trials, through full commercial production.โ
While the company directly markets most of the products it manufactures, it also has a successful contract manufacturing business that produces formulations under private label for both small firms and some of the largest companies in the world.
โWe play a crucial role in helping these companies get their products to market on time and on budget,โ said Venarge. โWe have the manufacturing capacity and quick turnaround times they need, the process control and engineering expertise to bring it all together, custom packaging and worldwide distribution services, and the ability to retain inventory and batch history for as long as customers request. We put as much care into the contract formulas we manufacture as we put into the formulas we develop for our own brands.โ
โFewer and fewer companies are offering the type of service we do,โ Venarge added. โBack in the 1960s, there were probably 3,500 paint manufacturers in the country. As the industry became more regulated, and the barriers to entry grew, the number of manufacturers reduced considerably. APV is still privately held and has remained strong and committed to the industry.โ
Manufacturing Capabilities
APV Engineered Coatings has more than doubled in size and tripled in capacity over the last 20 years, with more than 50 percent capacity increase in the last five years alone. On average, the company currently produces about 1.5 million gallons of product a year from a 15-acre R&D and manufacturing facility in South Akron.
With more than 300 pieces of manufacturing equipment over 150,000 square feet of manufacturing space, the company can accommodate everything from pint-sized samples and small batch runs to large-scale, tanker-truck-sized production output.
Products OEM and after market applications currently produced at APV Engineered Coatings include:
โข Adhesives
โข Binders, concentrates and slurries
โข Industrial crayons
โข Screen-printed decals
โข Dyes
โข Forging lubricants
โข Industrial Inks
โข Inspection markers
โข Maskant materials for aerospace components
โข Custom engineered paints and coatings
โข High performance architectural coatings
โข Custom primers
โข Tire and rubber paints and lubricants
Supporting the Akron Manufacturing Community
APV Engineered Coatingsโ ability to meet quick turn-around times for contract customers while also maintaining production capacity for its own brands is a testament to the investments the company has made in recent years. It currently employs between 100-120 people at its Akron plant, with about 10 percent of its staff working as chemists.
โWe continue to invest in our facilities to meet the future demands of our customers,โ said Venarge. โWeโre also investing in the future of the manufacturing industry here in Akron. Weโre currently renovating a 32,000-square-foot addition for more warehouse space and have plans on the drawing board for another 44,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehouse facility.โ
โAkron, and especially the newly coined Firestone Business Park, is a perfect location for creating manufacturing jobs,โ Venarge added. โItโs close to interstates and rail access, and there are several opportunities for re-development. Weโre committed to Akron, and are working to keep existing industrial companies in the area as well as attract new ones. Our vision at APV is to be the โmodel homeโ in a vibrant new neighborhood.โ
About APV Engineered Coatings
Founded in 1878, APV Engineered Coatings custom formulates and manufactures industrial coatings and advanced chemical products in Akron, Ohio. APV is a partner for some of the worldโs top-producing manufacturers due to its expertise in chemical and coating composition, the commercialization of advanced materials and large-scale production. The companyโs innovative solutions have been integrated into a variety of industries for unique applications. Product offerings range from adhesives and release agents, to crayons and inspection marking tools, to water-based industrial inks and high-performance coatings.
For more information, call 800-772-3452 or visit www.apvcoatings.com. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook by searching APV Engineered Coatings or using the handle @APVcoatings.