INOLEX

The D.B. Martin Co.'s Flagship Facility in Philadelphia, PA (1908)

In 1876, D.B. Martin founded the D.B. Martin Company in Delaware (USA), and later (1904) incorporated the company in Philadelphia (USA).[1] A processor of animal-derived fats, oils, fatty acids, soaps, and fibers, the company experienced rapid growth in the United States and Canada, becoming the largest meat packing and processing operation east of Chicago.[14][15] Martin contracted architect C.B. Comstock to design a state of the art, all-in-one facility in Philadelphia at a cost of $1,000,000. Opened in 1908, the building incorporated an abattoir, corporate headquarters office space, rooftop stock pen, cold storage, and oleo processing operations, along with advanced environmental controls to protect city residents.[15][16]

The Wilson-Martin Company logo (1961)

Following acquisition by Wilson & Company, Inc. in 1920,[1][17][18] the newly-formed Wilson-Martin Company operated as a subsidiary of Wilson & Co., focusing on animal fiber and fatty acid derivative production.[19][20] In the 1930s, the company developed a prototype continuous production apparatus for the distillation of fatty acids; the prototype was subsequently adapted to a full scale commercial version, an important technological advancement in the industry. Previously, industrial fatty acid distillation had been performed using batch processing methods. The new, continuous process method delivered improvements in production yields and quality, and allowed producers to easily switch from one raw material to another without production downtime, cleaning of the apparatus, or cross-contamination of the materials produced.[21][22] By 1961, the Wilson-Martin Company produced a line of Wilmar- and Wilimids- branded products emphasizing Modern Chemistry (gas chromatography) as an assurance of superior quality. Products in these lines included emulsifiers, esters, plasticizers, lubricants, distilled fatty acids, and germicidal fatty nitrogen derivatives.[23]

In June 1967, the U.S. conglomerate Ling-Temco-Vought acquired Wilson & Company (including subsidiary Wilson-Martin Company),[24] during a period when Ling-Temco-Vought stated that it was strategically focused on acquiring quality-focused companies that were pioneers in their industries.[25] Following the acquisition, parent company Ling-Temco-Vought restructured the operations to form three publicly held companies traded on the American Stock Exchange; Wilson & Company, Wilson Sporting Goods, and Wilson Pharmaceutical & Chemical.[24] The Wilson-Martin Company’s chemical and processing operations were incorporated within the newly formed Wilson Pharmaceutical & Chemical, a company that produced 140 pharmaceutical products[26] and multiple patented innovations.[27] In 1967, Wilson Pharmaceutical & Chemical acquired Goldschmidt Chemical.[28][29][30] In 1969, the Ling-Temco-Vought conglomerate divested several operations, one of which was Wilson Pharmaceutical & Chemical, sold to American Can Company for $16,000,000.[31]

During the 1970s, Wilson Pharmaceutical & Chemical operated as a subsidiary of American Can, undergoing a reshaping that shifted emphasis towards growth in Pharmaceuticals, Laboratory Diagnostics, and Personal Care.[32] The company sold its animal products processing facilities, and established a new division, Wilson Diagnostics. Wilson Diagnostics developed the Auxotab system (later named INOLEX enteric),[33] an easy to use rapid laboratory test kit for the detection of 200 enteric pathogens including E. coli and Salmonella.[34] The product was marketed not only for diagnosis in clinical specimens, but also for microbial testing in Environmental monitoring[35] and in the Food industry, a pioneering step in a movement toward eradicating microbial contamination of pharmaceuticals, foods, and cosmetics.[36] As part of the reshaping, in 1974 the company rebranded as INOLEX Corporation,[37][38] a new company name derived from the words INnovation, TechnOLogy, and EXcellence.[8]

Publicly-traded INOLEX Corporation merged back into parent company American Can in 1979,[39] prior to American Can Company’s 1981 sale of the INOLEX Chemical Division to private investors.[40][41][42]

Since 1981, INOLEX has operated as a privately-held, independent company focused on ingredient innovation and production. Early on, the company specialized in ester technology and operated in the polyester/urethane market, cosmetic ingredient market, and specialty lubricant industry. In the 1980s, INOLEX developed new ingredient technologies that delivered enhanced aesthetic transparency in consumer products (for example, clear shower gels and urethane sealants).[43] First-to-market innovations attributed to INOLEX include creation of proprietary ingredient blends such as natural cationic hair conditioning agents;[44] natural, broad spectrum preservation ingredients; and high performing, bio-based plant-derived silicone replacements.

During this time, INOLEX has placed an increased focus on sustainability and the environment, building an emphasis on green chemistry, sustainable products, preservation-alternatives, silicone-alternatives, palm-free ingredients, and natural-derived ingredients for the cosmetic industry in response to shifting consumer demand.[45][46] In 2017, INOLEX fully committed to focusing on the personal care industry with the sale of the Lexolube™ industrial lubricant franchise to Zschimmer & Schwarz.[47][48] In 2018, the company announced plans for a new, flagship facility in Charlotte, North Carolina to expand global manufacturing and warehousing holdings.[49]