Cabot Corporation - History

History

Cabot Corporation was founded by Godfrey Lowell Cabot in 1882 when he applied for a patent for a "carbon black making apparatus.” The company incorporated in the state of Delaware in 1960. According to Cabot's corporate history, "Godfrey combined his knowledge of pigmentation and chemistry with an understanding of natural gas to become an early producer of carbon black, which was a key ingredient for the growing applications of Godfrey's era, including newspaper and magazine printing inks as well as tires and other rubber goods needed for the fledgling automotive industry."

In 1993, a team of Cabot researchers developed a process for modifying the surface of carbon, something scientists had been trying to do for decades. With this critical breakthrough, Cabot chemists and researchers could prepare surface modified carbon black products with properties never before associated with carbon materials. for printer ink – the basis of Cabot’s Inkjet Colorants business unit founded in 1996.

In 2003, Cabot developed a commercialized process that allows continuous production of aerogels under ambient conditions, which was the start of the company’s Aerogel business. In FY 2009, Cabot completed construction of and began operating two additional rubber black production plants at its carbon black plant in Tianjin, China, increasing capacity to 150,000 metric tons. In July 2012, Cabot purchased Norit NV, the largest producer of activated carbon, for $1.1 billion.

Cabot sold its Supermetals business in FY 2011 to Global Advanced Metals Pty Ltd. This business produced tantalum, niobium and related alloys.