By Davies Hood, Induron Executive VP, Birmingham, AL
Induron celebrates our 65th anniversary this year. I am beyond proud of this incredible professional AND personal landmark.
Reaching the 65-year mark makes me proud personally because of the success of my predecessors. That’s obviously my dad and granddad, but this anniversary is even more a testament to the management team and staff that’s worked here over the years. From the production crew and sales team, to the chemists, warehouse guys and store workers over the years, there’s a lot to be proud of.
- In 1947, when our country was much smaller in population, there were many more paint manufacturers. Several existed in Alabama, and there were several in every major city in the country. Like many things, there’s been consolidation over the years. Even in my 15 years with Induron, I’ve seen significantly fewer small- to medium-size paint manufacturers nationwide.
- Induron has stood the test of time because we’ve been flexible enough to adapt our business model to reflect current and changing tastes, but we’ve also consistently run our business with integrity. We treat our customers, employees and suppliers with integrity by doing what we say we’re going to do. We treat everyone with respect, because that’s what we believe in.
- Additionally, we’ve always gone to market with quality products. That’s true for when we made red primers for the steel industry in the ‘40s after the war, Monarch: the industry standard house paint in the ‘70s, and Protecto 401: the standard in coating for ductile iron sewer pipe & fittings for the last 25+ years.
The last 65 years haven’t been without their challenges though. We’ve dealt with the changing business climate, changing customer tastes and competitors that keep getting bigger and bigger via acquisition. That’s our largest challenge; we’ve always been smaller than our competitors. We know we’re paying a little more for our raw materials. They have deeper pockets for advertising and marketing, bigger sales forces, newer equipment – all the advantages of size. But that just makes us work harder and smarter. Out business has always been built on respect, integrity, innovative products and going above and beyond for our customers.
So, what do I see for our next 65 years? Because we ask our customers what they want, we stay tuned in to what they need, and therefore I know there will be new product lines. We’re going to continue to thrive by being more innovative than our competition. Innovation, respect and integrity are keys to the next half century … and then some!
Founded in 1947, Induron manufactures high performance coatings that serve a range of industrial applications, including the wastewater, transmission and distribution and groundwater storage industries. Learn more about us at www.Induron.com.