Crompton Corporation (formerly Crompton and Knowles), was a chemical research, production, sales and distribution company headquartered in Middlebury, Connecticut

Middlebury, Connecticut

Middlebury is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,451 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....

. The company produced specialty chemicals used for polymers, fire suppressants and retardants, pool and spa water purification systems and various other applications. Since 2005, Crompton has been part of Chemtura Corporation

Chemtura Corporation

Chemtura Corporation is a marketer of specialty chemicals, polymer products, and processing equipment for a variety of industries. The company formed in 2005 from the merger of two other corporations: Great Lakes Chemical Corporation of West Lafayette, Indiana, and Crompton Corporation of...

.

History

Crompton Corporation traced its origins to 1837 when founder William Crompton invented a loom

Loom

A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...

 for weaving patterns in cotton, an innovation that led in the 1840s to the founding of Crompton Loom Works

Crompton Loom Works

Crompton Loom Works is a historic building at 132-142 Green Street in Worcester, Massachusetts.It was built in 1860 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980....

 in Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....

 by his son George Crompton

George Crompton

George Crompton was an American inventor, manufacturer, and businessman and the son of William Crompton, an inventor. He is most well known for his invention, perfection, and popularization of the Crompton Loom, a fancy loom that could reach maximum speeds of eighty-five picks per second, nearly...

. The company merged in 1879 with rival Knowles Brothers to form the Crompton and Knowles Loom Works.

In 2005, Crompton merged with Great Lakes Chemical Corporation

Great Lakes Chemical Corporation

Great Lakes Chemical Corporation is a chemical research, production, sales and distribution company that produces specialty chemicals used for polymers, fire suppressants and retardants, pool and spa water purification systems and various other applications...

 of West Lafayette, Indiana

West Lafayette, Indiana

As of the census of 2010, there were 29,596 people, 12,591 households, and 3,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,381.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 74.3% White, 17.3% Asian, 2.7% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.03% Pacific...

 to form Chemtura Corporation

Chemtura Corporation

Chemtura Corporation is a marketer of specialty chemicals, polymer products, and processing equipment for a variety of industries. The company formed in 2005 from the merger of two other corporations: Great Lakes Chemical Corporation of West Lafayette, Indiana, and Crompton Corporation of...

, now headquartered in Philadelphia.

Crompton's ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange

New York Stock Exchange

The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...

was CK.