American Utility Metals, a Baton Rouge-based producer of specialty stainless steel, announced this morning that it’s changing its name to Crompion International. The name change is part of a larger rebranding effort to expand globally and strengthen its creative metallurgy production. This week, in fact, Crompion says it secured a multimillion-dollar contract to fabricate stainless steel products for a manufacturer in the transportation industry. Since 2000, Crompion has forged a niche in the steel industry by fabricating products with low-nickel stainless steel. Company President George Schaffer says in a partnership with the LSU AgCenter and Audubon Sugar Institute that Crompion has recently developed a product that is resistant to corrosion and improves sugarcane processing time. The product could soon be manufactured for industry, he says, possibly at Crompion’s plant in Akron, Ohio. “I’m looking forward to kicking back a lot of royalties to LSU on this,” Schaffer says. Crompion employs 19 workers in Baton Rouge and 41 at its 85,000-square-foot facility in Akron, but also has offices in Colorado Springs, Colo. Schaffer says Crompion’s steel, Cromgard, is highly resistant to corrosion and abrasion, making it also attractive to manufacturers of buses and railroad cars. Schaffer says Crompion seeks to provide stainless steel offerings and solutions to industries based in south Louisiana by beefing up its staff of metallurgists. “We hope to spread local research and innovation to the global business community, supporting the wealth of knowledge and talent that can be found in this state,” Schaffer says. —Adam Pearson
Editor’s note: This story has been changed since its original publication to clarify the nature of Crompion’s products.
