Company Introduction

Founded in 1868, Washington Mills began as Washington Mills Emery Manufacturing Company. It was the first abrasive producer in the United States and its sole product at that time was imported Turkish Emery Ore – a natural abrasive that was crushed and sized primarily for the polishing of farm tools. By 1929 sales of Turkish Emery had fallen as more consistent man-made materials in the form of electrically fused aluminum oxide became available. In order to keep pace with the superior fused materials, Washington Mills converted its emery plant into a more modern plant suitable for processing the new fused materials.

In 1929 the company updated and expanded its facilities in North Grafton, MA to process furnaced electrominerals. In 1980 it installed a new greenfield aluminum oxide fusion plant and modern refractory grain crushing and grading plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This gave the company the ability to fuse its own electro-minerals and gain total control of the production process. Washington Mills further expanded its furnacing, crushing, and grading capabilities through the acquisition of three distinct facilities from The Carborundum Company in 1986. This acquisition added one plant in Niagara Falls, Canada, one in Niagara Falls, NY and one in Trafford Park, England. With increased capacity, Washington Mills began to manufacture a broader line of products, expand its position in the marketplace and service more diverse industries. The company’s steady growth resulted in a world-wide sales expansion into Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.

Seeing an opportunity to expand its silicon carbide products and microgrit capabilities, Washington Mills acquired The Exolon Company in 2001. This added further processing capability in Tonawanda, NY and gave Washington Mills control of its own silicon carbide crude source through the Hennepin, IL plant. Rounding out its portfolio of abrasive products, Washington Mills enlarged its ceramic media production through the purchase of Wisconsin Porcelain in 2001. In
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