About EaglePicherEaglePicher

EaglePicher History

In 1843, the two Conkling brothers began manufacturing paint pigments under the brand name Eagle. In 1916, Judge Oliver Picher merged his lead mining company with the Eagle paint company to form Eagle-Picher Lead. This forerunner of the current company began the steady process of transforming the company into an industry leader by offering the most advanced products and technology of the time.

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Wealthy in minerals from mining zinc and diatomaceous earth, the company began using those materials to develop new products, such as innovative storage batteries, that later became instrumental to the U.S. military in WWII. Participating in our government’s first semiconductor research lead to perfecting the process to purify Germanium, a rare element mined and produced by EaglePicher–which in turn helped lead to the development of the world's first transistors.

 

ImageContinued diversification and key acquisitions, combined with their trademark advanced and customized applications, have signaled the ongoing progress of EaglePicher. Today, EaglePicher is known as the "go to" company, particularly when an application requires a challenging solution. The year 2003, EaglePicher was proud to celebrate its 160th Anniversary of business with a continuing heritage of high quality and "The Application of Innovation."

 

 

TIMELINE

1843 Manufacture Eagle White Lead paint pigments
1893 Third largest white lead manufacturer in nation
1913 Bonanza of lead and zinc deposits discovered
1917 Smelter for producing zinc ore completed
1925 Largest production of lead in company history
1930 Bustling mining town of Picher grows from uninhabited prairie
1931 Enter industrial insulation field
1934 Wolverine Gasket established
1940 Hillsdale Division established
1941 World's first pilot plant for Germanium separation and purification
1945 EaglePicher acquires diatomaceous earth deposits and initiates construction of a processing plant near Clark, Nevada
1947 Bell Labs use EaglePicher Germanium for first transistor
1951 Demand for lead and zinc skyrocket due to Korean War
1952 Enter filter aid market with discovery of high-purity diatomaceous earth
1952 Special purpose batteries developed
1953 Germanium refining plant completed
1955 Supply 95% of all Germanium used in research or production
1957 Valuable patents for automotive rubber molding process obtained
1958 President's Christmas message from Atlas missile powered by EaglePicher battery
1958 EaglePicher opens new mine and processing facility near Lovelock, Nevada and enters filtration market
1962 EaglePicher batteries obtain highest quality assurance award from U.S. Signal Corps
1967 Wolverine Gasket Division joins EaglePicher
1969 Wolverine Gasket Division pioneers the use of brake shims in automotive applications
1970 Astronauts aboard Apollo 13 carried safely home thanks to EaglePicher batteries
1971 Hillsdale Division joins EaglePicher
1977 Produce Boron for defense and commercial nuclear applications
1979 EaglePicher Automotive group established
1979 Wolverine Gasket Division is awarded several patents for gasketing materials
1984 Organic chemicals product line added
1986 EaglePicher opens new mine and processing facility near Vale, Oregon for additional filter aid production capacity
1986 Wrote the guide for safe handling of carcinogens for the National Cancer Institute
1987 Electronic components for aerospace and industrial applications added
1987 Sole supplier of transmission pump for Ford's best-selling F150 truck series
1987 EaglePicher designated the container supplier for the Environmental Protection Agency's superfund cleanup program
1988 EaglePicher Automotive establishes Fluid Systems Division with US and UK facilities
1988 Wolverine Gasket Division is the #1 supplier of brake shims worldwide
1989 Ultraviolet EaglePicher sensor used by Stinger ground-to-air missile
1990 Optical devices used in aircraft and armored vehicles during Gulf War
1991 The only supplier to provide and make available processed, treated and certified containers for the Environmental, Pharmaceutical/Biotech, and Semiconductor industries
1993 EaglePicher celebrates its 150th year in business
1999 EaglePicher Automotive reaches $500 million in annual sales
1999 Pharmaceutical Services opens Class 100,000 isolated suites to produce high potent (cytotoxic) Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients
2001 EaglePicher achieves half a billion operational cell hours in space
2002 Hillsdale Division provides first secondary micro fluid filtration system, for gasoline-engine application, in North America
2003 Commercial Power Systems Division created for increased focus/growth
2003 EaglePicher celebrates its 160th year in business.