The corporation ceased operations and dissolved effective Aug. 18, 2026, after stating that it had sold its operating businesses to new owners. The Justice Department’s announcement names Yenkin Majestic Paint Corporation in the guilty plea and does not name the purchasers of its former operating businesses as parties to the case. The company’s dissolution materials do not state that the dissolution was related to the criminal case.

According to DOJ, Yenkin-Majestic worked with a local fabricator to install a new access door, known as a manway, on Kettle 3 in December 2020. The department said the company did not pressure-test the new manway before returning the kettle to service, despite previous pressure spikes. The manway began leaking after installation, but the kettle remained in use.

The company subsequently installed a thicker gasket that personnel believed was made of Teflon but was actually silicone, according to DOJ. On the night of the explosion, the kettle’s agitator stopped, likely while electrical work was underway. When the agitator was restarted, solvent inside the kettle rapidly vaporized, causing pressure to rise.

The manway and gasket could not contain the increased pressure, and hot resin and flammable solvent vapor escaped into the plant. Gas detectors registered rising concentrations of flammable vapor but had not been configured to sound an audible alarm. The vapor found an ignition source and exploded at approximately 12:04 a.m.

The CSB later concluded that inadequate pressure-vessel integrity practices, the absence of engineering controls and weaknesses in emergency preparedness contributed to the incident and its severity. Its investigation also found that some gas monitors sent an email to off-site personnel but did not audibly warn employees in the plant.

“Our hope in highlighting this case is that other manufacturers will vigilantly protect the safety of their workers and properly operate their equipment,” said Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division.

The case was investigated by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division, the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Special Investigations Unit, with support from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. DOJ did not provide a sentencing date or identify a potential penalty in its announcement.

The case highlights critical paint and coating manufacturing issues involving vessel alterations, pressure testing, process controls, hazardous-material detection and emergency warning systems.