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& THE CHAMELEON A magazine for employees of The Sherwin-Williams Co. Published at Cleveland Headquarters since January, 1898. : : : : : : ' .- : 601 Canal Road, Cleveland, Ohio A VOLUME 25, NUMBER 10 Edited by E. W. Garfield OCTOBER, 1924 A Message from the President TO THE ORGANIZATION: While the final annual statements of our year, closing August 31st, are not as yet completed, but will be now within a few days, the writer feels justified in taking a little chance, due to the opportunity presented by this issue of The Chameleon, to express briefly what we may expect in the final reports as the results of our last year's work. The departmental records are coming through fast from the general accountants, carrying such facts as suggest, first, tendering to the entire organization the thanks of the management for the splendid co-operation and the action of all in every section and department of the business for his or her part in the work that has been done. As stated, it will be some days before the final reports will be completed, but analyses give us a fair line on what the general final results should show in production and sales. - The units of output are pretty much on a parity with that of last year in most of the depart ment All have performed well and delivered goods of quality and of splendid appearance, and with promptness better than ever before, which in itself is an achievement. The grand consolidated gross sales report shows 2.6 per cent gain over last year's business. In this, of course, it must be understood that some departments have shown losses while others have made gains, but the total will be as cited above. . The final net profits of the business cannot be estimated with any degree of safety until the final reports are out, but due to some increases in cost of production as well as cost of marketing, reasons for which are many and could not be discussed in a letter of this kind, the results will not be in keeping with last year's earnings. The personnel of the entire organization has remained practically intact during the year just closed, and we trust, by every one of us doing his or her part, it will continue so. It is our belief that of all the great assets of the company, none are more valued by the management than is the human element that goes to make up its organization, and the policy will be to continue to encourage long and faithful service by an effort to continue to try and make the company a good one to be associated with, and its offices and factories a good place in which to work. Our new year started September 1st, and we are glad to report the months of September and October up to this writing have been the greatest over any like period of any other year in the history of the business, both in sales and in production, and if the sign of the times and the expression of opinions on all the conditions which go to make for business, as rendered by the well-known and recognized leaders of finance and industry, are true, and we can see nothing to the contrary, our year of 1924-25 should be another record-breaker. With a flying start never equalled before, a clear field, and with the organization made up of what we believe to be the best in the country, and with facilities as near perfect as is possible to make them, we feel that the results to be obtained by way of increase is limited only by what the human element of this institution want to make it. Again assuring every individual of the sincere appreciation of the management and the writer in person, for the support and loyalty we have had in the past year, and believing there is no limit to your help for this current fiscal year, I am, " Yours very truly, . za President. N16024 iEffassm/m : October, 1924 THE CHAMELEON 19 History of Sherwin-Williams Products By W. R. Sie p l e in Rote: The first two parts of this article ap peared in the last two issues of The Chameleon, fhe article is concluded in this issue. To handle the business in Canada to better advantage, a paint and varnish plant was erected in Montreal in 1895, this has since developed into The Sher win-Williams Co. of Canada, Ltd. To keep pace with the demand for enamels and paints with high gloss which were displacing the slower meth ods of applying color coats and subse quent varnishing, Buggy Paint and Enamel Paints were first made in 1894, Varnish Stains 1895 and Wagon Paint in 1896. Liquid Fillers was also added to the list in 1896, and 1897 brought the addition of Copper Paint and Oil Stains. Porch and Deck Paints were added in 1898, and Screen Enamels in 18S9. The manufacture of special paints for Railway and Marine uses had devel oped to such an extent that in 1894 a special price list was issued featuring these products, and in 1899 the first s price list for Street Railway Products ; was issued. ^ All driers, japans and treated oils used in paints had been manufactured by the Company for many years, and during later^ears also some varnishes were made. In 1896 this branch of the manufacture was much extended by the erection of a new and much larger plant embodying all the most modern equip ment. This resulted in putting a com plete line of Varnishes and Japans on the market in 1899. The leader of these was Kopal. Following shortly after Mr. Cottingham's appointment as General Manager in 1898, began a policy of very rapid expansion to make the business com plete from the manufacture of raw ma terials to the finished products. Manv new lines were added to provide prod ucts best adapted to a wide variety of special uses. ``Expansion'' was the motto and the Company pursued the ambition to really "Cover the Earth," so well illus trated in the design adopted in 1895, the inspiration of Mr. Geo. W. Ford, then advertising manager. In 1896 we began the manufacture of dry colors at Cleveland. A new plant was erected in 1899, and in 1903 the de partment was moved to Chicago to much larger quarters. Another dry color plant was established at Newark v3n 1911. The business in the Atlantic Coast states had grown to such an extent that it could not be well handled from Cleve land, and a new paint and varnish plant was established at Newark, N. J., in 1901. In 1902 a Linseed Oil Mill was erect ed in Cleveland to make the oils re quired in our own products. The manufacture of leaded zinc pig ment was commenced in 1904 through the purchase of a mine at Magdalena, When not writing history or at his desk W. R. Sieplein enjoys the outdoors. These were taken this summer on his vacation in Canada. New Mexico, and in 1906 the present smelter at Coflfeyville was erected. Continuing the general policy of pro ducing our own raw' materials, a White Lead plant using the Dutch process was erected in Chicago in 1910. This supplied all the white lead used in the manufacture of paints and put ODP White Lead in Oil on the market. The Dry Color Plant was. of course, perfectly adapted to the production of Insecticides, so the Company's entry into the Insecticide business came about ouitp nntnraUv Paris Green was the best known and most generally used insecticide at the time. Though first made over a hundred years ago, as an artist's color, it was not until 1860 that it was used as an insecticide. We began to manufacture it in 1903, and followed shortly after with Arsenate of Lead. This was first made by Scheele, a Swedish chemist, in 1775. but was not used as an insecticide until the Massa chusetts Gypsy Moth Commission in 1892 found it was helpful in controlling the gypsy moth. Lime-Sulfur Solution was added to the line in 1910. It is interesting to note that Sulfur was used even bv the early Greeks to control insects on plants and fruit trees. Pliny mentions that it was dusted on the fohage and on the ground and was burned in the or chards. Lime and sulfur combined as an insecticide was first used in 1845 in England. In 1915 Dry Lime-Sulfur was brought out and patented by The S-W Co., introducing an entirely new product in the insecticide field. In 1913 the Department of Agriculture found that the cotton boll weevil could be controlled by the use of Arsenate of Calcium, and in 1918 we also took up its manufacture. Discovery of this product also is credited to Scheele in 1775. Up to this time many other products had been added to the S-W line, the chief items being Floorlac, Floorwax, Aluminum Paint, and Machine Paint and Filler, in 1901; Shellacine and Crack and Seam Filler, in 1902: Com monwealth Barn Red. Enameloid, Metalastic, Mar-not and Dry-o-night. in 1903; 1904 brought the addition of Sheep Marking Liquid. Snow White Enamel, Polish-ol and Taxite. Flattone was included in the list in 1906. during which year Handcraft Stains. Shingle Stain and Ebonol were also added. The manufacture of linseed oil soap was first undertaken in 1908. when Flaxoap was put on the market, and in 1909 Concrete Finishes were added to the list. Old Dutch Enamel under the present name was first brought out in 1910, though the same product had been made under the name Enamelastie since 1906. Commonwealth Barn Gray. Carbolic-ol, Bras-Brite. Scar-not and Rexpar were added to the list in I'd 3 and 1914. At the outbreak of the war in 1914. consideration was given to the manu facture of aniline dyes and intermedi- .... n .......... i.. .. F SyP 652267 20 THE CHAMELEON October, Denver Store Has Real Outing * 4- j T Aboxc: Denver Retail Store staff and families, ready to leave for a picnic in the mountains. Right: Two views of the Denver store party. Mr. W. P. Clark teas there. The History of Sherwin- Williams Products (Concluded from I'agc 19) ates which were imported from Ger many. The Manufacturing; Committee in session during the early days of the war decide^! that active research should be commenced at once. Accordingly in October. 1914. the first real work in making Beta Naphthol was undertaken. The first attempt was only partially successful, but the work was carried on with great energy and speed, much of the strength of the Company being fo cused on this important development. New men were brought into the organi zation, a great deal of money was in vested in plant and the manufacture of many products established. This de partment has been developed until the Company ranks as one of the strongest now in the field. Beta Naphthol. Para Nitraniline. Tolttidine M and a consid erable number of other intermediates and dyes are being made in large quan tities and comprise a large share of the production in the United States. In 1917 a plant for the production of Acetic Acid was started in Chicago to make the ever-increasing quantity reauired for dye. dry color and insecticide manufacture. The surplus was sold di rect to other consumers. This business grew so rapidly that in 1921 another plant was erected at Bound Brook. The distillation of coal-tar was com menced in Chicago late in 1914. This plant provided much more capacity for Ebonol. and added to the list during the next vear or two. Phenolene and other disinfectants, Kiltik, Roof Ce ment, etc. The Advertising Department felt the need of greater uniformity in the ap pearance of the many lines of paints and varnishes offered to the trade, and as the result designed the present SAY Products label, which was adopted as the standard for all products in 1917. A very complete plant for the pro duction of Lithopone was erected in Chicago in 1917, thus completing facili ties to manufacture the most important raw materials used in SAY products. The Pacific Coast business demanded better service than was offered from the eastern plants, so another plant was established at San Francisco. This be gan operating on September 26, 1919. In 1921 the manufacture of cans was discontinued at Jeveland and moved to Chicago to a new plant embodying all the latest features in automatic tin can machinery. A new plant for the manufacture of White Lead by the Carter process was added in 1921, and shortly after includ ed also a plant for the manufacture of Litharge and Red Lead. In accordance with the general pro gressive policy of the Company', Zilo was introduced early in 1921, thus giv ing to the painter a lead in oil combined with zinc in such a manner as to permit him to use it in every wa.v exactly the same as he does lead in oil. For a number of years we had been making Pyroxylin Enamels and Lac quers in a small way. and during the fall of 1921 a new department was created at Chicago to produce it in com mercial quantities, thus keeping abreast of the times with the new development in these artistic and quick drying fin ishes. This type of finish was first made in England by' Alexander Parkes in 1855. but its use has been extended very largelv during the last five years. In addition to the items mentioned which were introduced for distribution to the trade through our agents, there have been innumerable products manu factured for industrial consumption and for railroads and steamships. These products have kept pace with changes in the processes of painting, and have frequently led in new developnit This has required change from bn ing material to that adapted for many other methods introduced modern factory practice, such as ( ping, first largely used in the agri< tural implement manufacture ab fifty years ago, spraying, first atteir, ed on a large scale in painting World's Fair Buildings in Chica 1893, and the later methods of flood or flowing introduced about 1906 keep up to'quantity production in nn ern automobile plants, and the c >ati process used for painting sheet niel etc., about 1890. The war brought to 11s many reqtte for materials of a wide variety of us Special camouflage colors were ma for painting ships. A great many d ferent finishes were produced for she! varnish and other materials for a planes. Enormous quantities we made for buildings. Finishes for mot transports were supplied to mai manufacturers of trucks and autom biles. During all this long period the O'ti ]>any has occupied a pre-eminent pos tion in the industry, always making tl best possible product for the ptirpn intended and selling it for a reasonab price. Everything possible has bee done to utilize new developments in tl science of paint, varnish and color tnal ing to bring new products before tb trade. This sound policy, coupled "it aggressive management, has caused tb wonderful growth of the (Grand Of Company's business from 85 product; total production of 450.000 pounds, t nearly 6000 separate products dttrin; the successful 1923 year just closed :ll,` the enormous total of over 11 'O.OOOW pounds. -- The End-- 7 SUP 052268