Van Dorn Demag
Van Dorn Demag is manufacturer of injection molding machines based in Strongsville, Ohio. They are a company that is highly regarded amongst injection molding professionals for their high quality machinery, innovative designs, and great after-market and technical support. Because of these factors, they have grown quite a loyal following, and many injection molders have placed their faith and the reputation of their companies and product in the hands of this brand.
It took the Van Dorn Demag Company, as it is known now, many years to develop such a well-respected reputation. They have definitely earned it though, with well over 100 years of operation, albeit, not strictly in the plastics sector.
As many companies that have been around for a while, Van Dorn has quite humble beginnings.
It took the Van Dorn Demag Company, as it is known now, many years to develop such a well-respected reputation. They have definitely earned it though, with well over 100 years of operation, albeit, not strictly in the plastics sector.
As many companies that have been around for a while, Van Dorn has quite humble beginnings.
The History of van dorn demag
Van Dorn Demag has been around for almost 150 years. This is well before the time of the modern plastics industry, so it is not surprising that the company got its start in another field entirely. The company was started way back in 1872 when James H. Van Dorn founded a small iron fence business in Akron, Ohio. In 1878, Van Dorn moved his business to East 79th street in Cleveland, and renamed it the Cleveland Wrought Iron Fence Company. As you can guess from the name, they went on making all sorts of decorative iron works. Within a few years, business picked up and Van Dorn found his company was the largest producer of jail cells in the region.
To reflect this change in business and noted success, he renamed the business the Van Dorn Iron Works Company in 1884. His company became increasingly successful producing parts for local manufacturers in the rapidly growing automobile industry around the turn of the century. They continued to be innovators of their industry, pioneering the development of the mechanical dump truck hoist, and building armored plates for cars and tanks in the first and second world wars.
The depression came, and hit many industries hard. With no one really making any money, and no companies being able to really afford to build anything, no one had a need for iron works. The company barely made it through the depression, and decided that it needed to diversify in order to survive. Afterwards, it acquired several other smaller companies including Davies Can Co. and Colonial Plastics Manufacturing Co. With these purchases under their belt, they started to produce aluminum cans for the food industry and plastic injection molding machines for the rising plastics market.
To reflect the new direction of their company, it was renamed simply the Van Dorn Co. in 1964. For the next three decades, the company continued on it relative prosperity, although many companies were fighting to purchase Van Dorn Co. In 1993 there was a hostile takeover attempt by a German-based company known as Mannesmann AG Company, and an American company, Crown Cork and Seal Company. Crown eventually purchased the company, and sold its plastics division to Mannesmann, which renamed it the Van Dorn Demag corporation as its American subsidiary.
After a few years of ownership by Manesmann, the company sold Van Dorn Demag to Japanese injection molding giant Sumitomo, in 2008.The company has still retained a very strong presence in the U.S., and has recently remodeled its headquarters in Strongsville, OH to be their new technology center, which supports its customers all over the world with their technical issues and after-market support.
To reflect this change in business and noted success, he renamed the business the Van Dorn Iron Works Company in 1884. His company became increasingly successful producing parts for local manufacturers in the rapidly growing automobile industry around the turn of the century. They continued to be innovators of their industry, pioneering the development of the mechanical dump truck hoist, and building armored plates for cars and tanks in the first and second world wars.
The depression came, and hit many industries hard. With no one really making any money, and no companies being able to really afford to build anything, no one had a need for iron works. The company barely made it through the depression, and decided that it needed to diversify in order to survive. Afterwards, it acquired several other smaller companies including Davies Can Co. and Colonial Plastics Manufacturing Co. With these purchases under their belt, they started to produce aluminum cans for the food industry and plastic injection molding machines for the rising plastics market.
To reflect the new direction of their company, it was renamed simply the Van Dorn Co. in 1964. For the next three decades, the company continued on it relative prosperity, although many companies were fighting to purchase Van Dorn Co. In 1993 there was a hostile takeover attempt by a German-based company known as Mannesmann AG Company, and an American company, Crown Cork and Seal Company. Crown eventually purchased the company, and sold its plastics division to Mannesmann, which renamed it the Van Dorn Demag corporation as its American subsidiary.
After a few years of ownership by Manesmann, the company sold Van Dorn Demag to Japanese injection molding giant Sumitomo, in 2008.The company has still retained a very strong presence in the U.S., and has recently remodeled its headquarters in Strongsville, OH to be their new technology center, which supports its customers all over the world with their technical issues and after-market support.