The History Timeline of Guardian Industries Corp.

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Here is our play-by-play, year-by-year

1930 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010

1932

Guardian Glass Company begins as a small windshield fabricator in Detroit, Michigan

1955

Photo division established.

1957

William Davidson named president.
Guardian files for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11.

1960

Guardian comes out of bankruptcy; all creditors paid in full.

1968

The company name is changed to Guardian Industries Corp.
Guardian goes public with first trade at $17 a share.
ABC Photo merges with Guardian.

1969

Guardian stock begins trading on American Stock Exchange.
Permaglass plants purchased in Millbury, Ohio; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Torrance, California; Toronto, Ontario.

1970

Guardian's first float line begins operation in Carleton, Michigan.

1971

Guardian headquarters moves to Novi, Michigan.

1972

Guardian stock reaches $135 a share.
Guardian Auto Glass created with purchase of Glass for Cars, Inc. and Beachland Glass Co.

1973

Guardian stock begins trading on New York Stock Exchange.
Second float line in Carleton, Michigan, begins operation.

1974

Glass Guard Industries purchased in Webster, Massachusetts.
Upper Sandusky, Ohio, automotive glass fabrication plant begins operation.
Annual sales reach $100 million.
Howards Photo Laboratories purchased.

1977

Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada, tempering plant begins operation.
Annual sales reach $200 million.
K Photo Service in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is purchased.

1978

Kingsburg, California, float line begins operation.
Mineral wool manufacturing operation begins in Huntington, Indiana.
Guardian purchases 17 GAF photo-processing plants.

1980

Novi, Michigan, photo plant and corporate offices' expansion completed.
Corsicana, Texas, float line begins operation.
Fiberglass insulation manufacturing begins in Albion, Michigan.
Annual revenues reach $300 million.
New Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, photo processing plant begins operation.

1981

Guardian expands Upper Sandusky, Ohio, automotive glass plant.
Guardian begins operation in Bascharage, Luxembourg.

1982

Guardian celebrates 50th anniversary.
Double Seal Glass Company purchased with plants in Flint, Michigan, and Rogers, Arkansas.
Guardian purchases AIRCO coating plant in Carleton, Michigan.

1983

Fullerton, California, rolled glass plant purchased.
Guardian acquires 55 percent interest in Floreffe, Pennsylvania, float glass plant.
Guardian Transportation organized.
Guardian introduces Low-E glass.
Guardian acquires C & T Glass Company in Walled Lake, Michigan.

1984

Guardian acquires 48 percent interest in Villosa sheet glass plant in Llodio, Spain.
Guardian purchases remaining interest in Floreffe, Pennsylvania, plant.
Guardian announces plans to buy back all outstanding shares.

1985

Guardian acquires remaining 52 percent interest in Llodio, Spain, plant; converts to float line.
Guardian goes private after 17 years as a public company.
Auburn, Indiana, automotive fabrication plant begins operation.
Buchmin Industries is purchased in Reedley, California.
Guardian Photo celebrates 30th anniversary.
HealthGuard program introduced.

1986

Mineral Wells, Mississippi, fiberglass plant begins operation.
Guardian College Scholarship Program started.

1988

Guardian acquires Windsor Plastics plants in Evansville, Indiana and Grand Prairie, Texas.
Richburg, South Carolina, float glass plant begins operation.
Guardian launches float glass plant in Dudelange, Luxembourg.

1990

Carleton, Michigan, plant celebrates 20th anniversary.
Vimosa float glass plant begins operation in Maturin, Venezuela.
Guardian acquires half interest in Industries Cover, Inc. in Quebec.

1991

Oroshaza, Hungary float glass plant begins operation.
Guardian purchases Trenline Laramee in Rexdale, Ontario.
Guardian acquires Falconer Glass Industries plants in Jamestown, New York, and Lewistown, Pennsylvania.
Guardian purchases Walker-Atlantic Glass in Toronto, Ontario.
Ligonier, Indiana, automotive fabrication plant begins operation.
Guardian Photo Division is sold to Qualex.

1992

Guardian acquires major interest in OIS Optical Imaging Systems, Inc.
Guardian acquires Consolidated Glass & Mirror Company in Galax, Virginia.
Float glass plant begins operation in Nong Khae, Thailand.

1993

Gujarat, India float glass plant begins operation.
Grevenmacher automotive fabrication plant begins operation in Luxembourg.
Tudela, Spain float glass plant begins operation.
Guardian establishes subsidiary Guardian Japan Ltd., to distribute products in Japan.

1994

Graham Fiberglass plant acquired in Erin, Ontario.
Guardian Brazil established in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to distribute products in region.

1995

Corporate headquarters moves to new facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
Gujarat, India, begins operation of mirror line.
Nong Khae, Thailand, begins operation of mirror line.

1996

Guardian acquires 70% interest in Automotive Moulding Company in Warren, Michigan, with three automotive trim plants in Georgia.
DeWitt, Iowa, float glass plant begins operation.
Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia, float glass plant begins operation.
Thalheim, Germany, float glass plant begins operation.

1997

Thalheim, Germany, begins operation of a new coating line.
Rayong, Thailand, float glass plant begins operation.
Distribution centers established in Argentina and South Africa.

1998

Operation begins at automotive trim plant in Morehead, Kentucky.
Guardian acquires Lab. Radio, an automotive trim manufacturer in Valencia, Spain.
Geneva, New York, float glass plant begins operation.
Porto Real, Brazil, float glass plant begins operation.
Operation begins at fiberglass plant in Inwood, West Virginia.
Richburg, South Carolina, plant begins operation of a new pattern line.
DeWitt, Iowa, and Lewistown, Pennsylvania, facilities begin operation of mirror lines.
Guardian Fiberglass acquires Builder Marts of America (BMA), a building materials buying group.
Pattern line installed in Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia, plant.

1999

BMA purchases controlling interest in ACE Hardware's LBM buying group.
Guardian purchases partner's interest in Rayong and Nong Khae, Thailand, operations.
Thalheim, Germany, begins operation of a new jumbo laminating line.

2000

Guardian Fiberglass acquires Cameron Ashley Building Products.
Guardian opens float glass distribution centers in Mexico City and Colombia.
Kingman, Arizona, fiberglass plant opens.
Science & Technology Center opens in Carleton, Michigan.
Porto Real, Brazil, begins operation of a new mirror line.
Corsicana, Texas, begins operation of a new coating line.
Tudela, Spain, begins operation of a new jumbo laminating line.
Guardian purchases TruServ's LBM division.

2001

Construction begins for Guardian's new coating facility near Bascharage, Luxembourg.
New Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia, mirror line begins operation.
New India mirror line begins operation.
Guardian lays cornerstone for a new float plant in Czestochowa, Poland.
Guardian celebrates 20 years in Europe.

2002

Guardian's new float plant in Czestochowa, Poland, begins operation.

2003

Guardian purchases partial ownership of the Egyptian Glass Company.
Guardian launches world's largest sputter coater in Bascharage, Luxembourg.
Cameron Ashley changes name to Guardian Building Products Distribution.
Guardian's new float plant in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, begins operations.
Guardian's Grevenmacher, Luxembourg automotive glass plant begins operation of new laminating and tempering line.
The Llodio, Spain float glass plant begins operation of new laminating line.
Guardian's Czestochowa, Poland float glass plant begins operation of new coating line.
Guardian President William Davidson presents Employee of the Year Award to all Guardian employees.

2004

Guardian's Tudela, Spain float glass plant begins operation of new acid etch line.
The Grevenmacher, Luxembourg automotive glass plant begins operation of second laminating line.
Guardian's new float glass plant in El Marqués, Mexico, begins operation.
Guardian's Kingsburg, California float glass plant begins operation of new coating line.
The Inwood, West Virginia fiberglass insulation facility expands production capacity.

2005

The Albion, Michigan fiberglass insulation facility expands production capacity.
The Mineral Wells, Mississippi fiberglass insulation facility expands production capacity.
Guardian introduces ClimaGuard SPF residential glass, the first glass technology that delivers complete UV protection plus the beauty of natural daylight.

2006

Guardian's DeWitt, Iowa float glass plant begins production on new sputter coating line.
Guardian Building Products acquires the assets of CGI/Silvercote.
Guardian introduces ShowerGuard glass, the industry's first temperable, permanently protected shower glass.
Guardian Building Products acquires the assets of Heartland Insulation Inc.
Guardian Automotive launches the Guardian HPS (High Performance Slider), a rear sliding window replacement part for pickup trucks. HPS captured the Most Innovative Use of Plastics Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers in November.
Guardian Building Products introduces FattBatt, the industry's thickest batt and highest R-value fiberglass insulation.
Guardian Automotive opens distribution centers in Portland, Oregon; Tampa, Florida; and Phoenix, Arizona.

2007

Guardian begins producing fiberglass insulation at converted Mack Truck facility in Winnsboro, South Carolina.
Guardian celebrates 75th anniversary.
Guardian introduces G-Coat, an automotive paint-over-chrome product.
Guardian Automotive opens a distribution center in LaGrange, Georgia.
Guardian's new float glass plant in Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, begins operation.

2008

Guardian begins glass production at new float plant in Ryazan, Russia.
Goole, England float glass facility begins production on new laminating line.
Guardian Automotive acquires Siegel-Robert Automotive.
Guardian announces expansion of Kingsburg, California float glass facility.
Guardian introduces CrystalGray, a high performance float glass with a new color option for architects and designers.
Guardian adds six new glass colors to its SunGuard product line.

2009

Guardian launches SRG Global Inc., one of the largest manufacturers of chrome plated plastic parts in the world.
Guardian mourns the loss of its chairman, president and CEO William Davidson.
Guardian announces new board of directors.
Guardian unveils ClimaGuard 63/31 Residential Low-E Glass, designed for all U.S. climates and energy tax credit requirements.
SRG Global announces plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Boleslawiec, Poland.
Guardian begins glass production at its second Brazilian float glass plant in Tatui, Sao Paulo.
Guardian introduces EcoGuard, it's line of solar glass products.

2010

Guardian glass covers the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.
Guardian Brazil celebrates the launch of its high technology coater in Porto Real.
Guardian celebrates new coater and plant expansion in Tudela, Spain.
Guardian names Scott Thomsen group vice president, North American Flat Glass.
Guardian names Mike Morrison president, Guardian Automotive.

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