BASF Kaolin and Superior Materials Celebrate Unique Partnership
GARDEN CITY, NY– BASF Kaolin and Superior Materials recently celebrated the 70th anniversary at Superior Materials’ Garden City, NY, headquarters. It is a unique relationship, as Superior Materials’ founder, Ben Joachim, essentially discovered industrial uses for kaolin for Edgar Brothers Clay, BASF Kaolin’s predecessor. In turn, Edgar Brothers asked Joachim to market the kaolin, thus leading to the formation of Superior Materials.
Kaolin is a staple of paper production, and Edgar Brothers sought more lucrative markets. Joachim found that kaolin was ideal for camouflage paint, a successful market during World War II. A pound of kaolin was mixed into each gallon of camouflage paint.