National Vulcanized Fiber

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Former NVF paper mill in the Auburn Mills Historic District, near Yorklyn, Delaware. Auburn Mill DE.jpg
Former NVF paper mill in the Auburn Mills Historic District, near Yorklyn, Delaware.

NVF Company, formerly known as National Vulcanized Fiber, [1] was a private company based in Yorklyn, Delaware. One of its original products, a sheet-like material called Forbon, was commonly used on guitar pickups. [2] NVF also made a product called Yorkite, another vulcanized fibre, that has wood grain printed directly on the material.

Contents

At one time, the company generated an estimated $42.2 million in sales and had about 550 employees.

NVF stopped manufacturing Vulcanized Fibre in Yorklyn after a flood in 2003 damaged the equipment. Corporate offices continued to operate until 2009, when they declared bankruptcy and dissolved the company, [3] including the Kennett Square facility which made Industrial Plastic Laminates. At that point, NVF Company ceased to exist. [4]

History

The company was formed by the merger of American Vulcanized Fiber Company, the National Fiber and Insulation Company and the Keystone Fiber Company on January 1, 1923. [5]

Company president Warren Marshall's 1936 salary was included in a list of "highest salaries paid in nation" released in 1938 by a Congressional committee. [6]

In 1946, the company's shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. [7]

In the 1990s, the company was controlled by financier Victor Posner. [8]

NVF was involved in a dispute with the city of Holyoke, Massachusetts about unpaid taxes on a paper factory there which was later destroyed by fire. [9] [10]

An NVF facility in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania was found to be contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls. [11]

A former NVF manufacturing site in Newark, Delaware has been redeveloped by the Commonwealth Group of New Castle, Delaware. [8]

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References

  1. Urang, Sally (April 15, 1979). "Corporate Names: A Tendency Toward Alphabet Soup; From Letters to Words". The New York Times. p. F3. Retrieved July 3, 2011. ... Company (formerly the National Vulcanized Fiber Company) had expanded its holdings in the APL Corporation (once called Admiral Plastics Corporation). ...
  2. "Forbon® Vulcanized Fibre". NVF Company. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  3. "Optimism grows for Yorklyn factory rebirth". delawareonline. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  4. "Kennett NVF". www.dvdc.com. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  5. "Financial Notes". Chicago Tribune. December 28, 1922. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2011. Announcement is that the American Vulcanized Fiber company, the National Fiber and Insulation company and the Keystone Fiber company have arranged to consolidate on Jan 1 The new concern will be known as the National Vulcanized Fiber company ...
  6. "Highest Salaries Paid in Nation in 1936 Are Listed by House Committee; Salaries of $50,000 or More as Listed for 1936 in Other States". The New York Times. January 9, 1938. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  7. "Stock Exchange Notes". The New York Times. January 22, 1946. Retrieved July 3, 2011. New York Stock Exchange admitted yesterday to the list and dealings the $1 par value common stock of National Vulcanized Fiber Company.
  8. 1 2 Milford, Maureen (November 11, 2001). "A Historic Delaware Mill Is Transformed". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  9. Ross, Ken (April 23, 2008). "Holyoke upheld in claim case". The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  10. DeForge, Jeanette (June 11, 2008). "Arson suspected in Holyoke mill fire". The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  11. "Mid-Atlantic Superfund. National Vulcanized Fiber (NVF)". Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved July 3, 2011.