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About

Leading the way for more than 70 years

Founded in 1950, Carpenter Co. is the world’s largest vertically integrated manufacturer of polyurethane foams. Carpenter also serves a diversified global marketplace with polyurethane chemical solutions, polyester fibers, and insulation materials through a network of more than 70 production locations. Our 6,500+ employees across the globe seek to provide the most innovative products and solutions with a focus on enhancing the quality of people’s lives while being a good steward of our resources.

Leading the way since 1948.

When E. Rhodes Carpenter began distributing latex cushioning to furniture makers in 1948, he quickly developed a reputation for honesty and integrity.

Even when his supplier abruptly abandoned him, he did not abandon his customers.

Instead, he found them a better solution: cushioning made from flexible urethane foam. He brought the manufacturing process from Germany to Richmond, Virginia in 1956, and by 1962 he was pouring his own foam to ensure quality.

Today, the company that bears his name is one of the largest makers of comfort cushioning products in the world, with 16 foam producing plants, over 4,000 employees, and 41 global locations.

His penchant for continuous improvement led to the development of many of the standards used in the industry today. And his stance on honesty, integrity, quality, and entrepreneurship remains our guiding principles.

Timeline

1950

Founded by E. Rhodes Carpenter as a distributor of Goodyear latex products.

1956

Began manufacture of flexible foam for the home furnishing industry.

1962

Began first continuous foam pouring line in Richmond, Virginia.

1963

Introduced flexible foam carpet cushioning and Richlux® reinforced urethane foam.

1966

Began making flexible foam for automotive applications. Opened second plant in Temple, Texas.

1969

Opened third plant in Russellville, Kentucky.

1970

Introduced Qualux® high resiliency foam.

1972

Opened fourth foam pouring plant in Conover, North Carolina. Established Carpenter Chemical Co. to produce high quality polyether polyols at the Roger W. Powell Plant, located on a spacious 70-acre site in Pasadena, Texas.

1975

Expansion of Carpenter Chemical Co.’s Roger W. Powell Plant with the addition of Unit P-2, dedicated to lower volume specialty polyether polyol products.

1977

Opened fifth plant in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

1978

Opened sixth and seventh foam pouring plant in Tupelo, Mississippi and Riverside, California. Further expansion of Roger W. Powell Plant with addition of Unit P-3 for large capacity polyether polyol manufacturing.

1982

Opened eighth plant in Elkhart, Indiana.

1984

Added ninth manufacturing facility just outside Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1985

Opened tenth plant in Lathrop, California.

1989

Reinhart Technical Center was founded in Richmond, VA as a research and development facility

1990

Acquired British foam manufacturer Hyman PLC with plants in the UK and France.

1994

Acquired Morning Glory Products, expanding Consumer Products Division.

1994

Opened plant in Ichtershausen – Thörey, Germany.

1997

Acquired two more plants, Huningue and Albias, in France. Invested $25 million in six world-class card lines for polyester fiber.

1998

Commissioning of Unit P-4 at Carpenter Chemical Co.’s Roger W. Powell Plant.

2000

Acquired foam manufacturer Cirrus AB in Sweden and BRDR. Foltmar A/S in Denmark. Expansion of Roger W. Powell Plant with the addition of Unit P-5, a large capacity polyether polyol unit.

2001

Opened eleventh North American foam plant in Lakeland, Florida.

2002

Added seventh card line for fiber production in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania.

2003

Commissioned Unit P-6 at Roger W. Powell Plant for large-scale polyether polyol manufacturing. When commissioned, this reactor was the largest of its kind in the world.

2004

Commissioned P-6 Polyether Polyol Unit at Roger W. Powell Plant, one of the world’s largest single-site producers.

2005

SAP corporate-wide implementation was completed.

2006

Upgraded Conover plant to new Hennecke Novaflex foam machine.

2007

Acquired Belgiam Foam manufacturer DUMO-NV. Completed Powell Plant DCS process control room upgrades.

2010

Introduced Avena® high resiliency foam.

2011

M. H. Reinhart Technical Center, located in Richmond, VA was expanded to increase foam performance testing capabilities.

2013

EPS manufacturing expands to Elkhart, IN. M. H. Reinhart Technical Center Pilot Plant expansion.

2016

Carpenter introduces Serene Foam® technology, a remarkable self-adjusting yet supportive foam which represents a significant improvement in comfort over traditional memory foams.

2017

Commissioned Unit PE1 at Roger W. Powell Plant, to produce CARPOL® PES Polyester Polyols using recycled PET plastic giving this world-class site the capability of manufacturing Polyether and Polyester polyol products.

2018

Commissioned P-7, a large capacity alkoxylation reactor with increased flexibility to manufacture a wide variety of polyol products.

2019

EPS manufacturing expands to Dallas, Texas. CARPOL® NIONIC chemicals find use in non-polyurethane applications, paving the way for growth into new and exciting applications.

2022

Carpenter opens a new Las Vegas showroom, highlighting even more of its divisions and categories.

2023

Carpenter Co. acquires Recticel NV’s Engineered Foams Division, making it the world’s largest vertically integrated manufacturer of polyurethane foams and specialty polymer products.