Asbestos Manufacturers: Johns Manville

Asbestos Manufacturers: Johns Manville

Asbestos Manufacturers: Johns Manville

Johns Manville origins started when H. W. Johns Manufacturing Company in New York was formed in 1858. This was a company that used asbestos to manufacture fire resistant roofing. In 1886, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; the Manville Covering Company was founded and started manufacturing asbestos heat insulation. The two companies merged in 1901 to form H. W. Johns Manville Company.

After the merger, the company expanded its business to producing asbestos automotive sheet cylinder packaging, asbestos acoustic products and asbestos cement. In 1927, the company went public as Johns Manville Corporation. After some time, the company started producing asbestos products for the demand necessary for the United States war efforts. At the time there was a need for insulation of Navy vessels; the company thus produced many insulating products mixed with asbestos and silica to meet the war time demands.

In 1958, the company diversified its operations to fiber glass and in 1974 Johns Manville Corporation became the United States leading manufacturers of PVC pipe, asbestos cement pipe and fiber glass.

However, after thousands of people developed serious asbestos exposure related illnesses from the company’s products and filed lawsuits, the company filed bankruptcy in 1982. In 1988, they emerged from bankruptcy and founded the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust. The trust would focus on settling asbestos related lawsuits and had an amount of two billion five hundred million dollars ($2.5 billion).

Their first asbestos related claims date as far back as 1929. As at 2012, the company had paid seven hundred and seventy three thousand nine hundred and ninety (773 990) claims, and had paid approximately four billion three hundred million dollars ($4.3 billion) towards these claims, however, the trust expects more claims.

In 2001, Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. acquired Johns Manville and today the company produces insulation and construction products made with fiber glass and polyurethane.