GOJO Industries, Inc., is a privately held manufacturer of hand hygiene and skin care products. Its best known product is Purell instant hand sanitizer. The company was founded in 1946 in Akron, Ohio, where it is again headquartered after a period in Cuyahoga Falls. GOJO introduced Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer in 1988, and its Provon brand name in 1989.
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History
GOJO was founded in 1946 in Akron, Ohio, by Goldie and Jerry Lippman. Goldie worked at the Miller Tire Co. rubber factory during World War II where graphite, tar, and carbon often got on her hands, as well as the hands of other employees, and was difficult to remove. Jerry worked at the Goodyear Aircraft plant. Both came home covered in sticky black carbon. They disliked what the cleaners used to clean their clothes so they set out to find an effective cleaning product that could be used without water. Goldie and Jerry worked together with Professor Clarence Cook from Kent State University's chemistry department to formulate a heavy duty hand cleaner. They called it GOJO Hand Cleaner and sold it to rubber workers. Prior to their product, chemicals such as benzene were used to remove soils, but these irritated the skin. After the war they began marketing to automotive service facilities. They quit their factory jobs and started GOJO.
The company's first name and product was GoGo, Goldie's nickname, but another company had already used the name, so the founders came up with GOJO, with the "G" standing for Goldie and the "J" standing Jerry.
GOJO invented a liquid soap dispenser in 1950 to dispense their product in limited quantities after realizing that users were using much more than was needed to clean their hands, hence causing buyers to think the product was too expensive. Jerry Lipmann filed a patent for this portion-limiting dispenser in 1952.
In 2004, Pfizer acquired, from GOJO, the exclusive rights to distribute Purell in the consumer market, while GOJO Industries retained the rights to existing industrial markets. The Pfizer Consumer Healthcare division, soon thereafter was acquired by Johnson & Johnson (on June 26, 2006) moving the consumer market distribution rights of Purell into their portfolio, and thereby creating an agreement between the two independent companies. In 2010 GOJO bought the brand back from Johnson & Johnson.
In February 2014, GOJO Industries acquired privately held Laboratoires Prodene Klint of Croissy-Beaubourg, France. The acquisition allows both companies greater geographic footpring and increased manufacturing operations. Prodene Klint manufactures professional hygiene, cosmetics and disinfectant products.
On June 6, 2015, GOJO launched its GOJO SMARTLINK Observation System, a mobile application that connects to GOJO SMARTLINK web-based software and allows for the electronic collection and collation of hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) compliance metrics.
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Operations
GOJO, headquartered in Akron, Ohio, operates worldwide, with offices in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan, and Brazil. It operates a number of manufacturing facilities in Ohio and across North America, as well as in Latin America, South America, Europe, and Asia. GOJO's main manufacturing and distribution facilities are based at its Lippman Campus in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Ownership
GOJO is a private, family-owned company. In 1946, GOJO was founded by Jerome "Jerry" Lippman and Goldie Lippman. Today, Joseph Kanfer runs his Uncle Jerry and Aunt Goldie's company, along with other family members. Kanfer's eldest daughter, Marcella Kanfer Rolnick, is vice chairwoman of GOJO's board. Marcella Kanfer Rolnick also runs The Lippman Kanfer Family Foundation focused on Jewish philanthropy and its sister organization Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, along with other family members.
Products
GOJO manufactures and markets skin health and hygiene solutions for away-from-home settings. Its products include hand soaps and sanitizers, moisturizers, shower washes, shampoos, foam hand washes, surgical scrubs, perineal care products, skin conditioners, chemical removing hand cleaners, hand protection products, and dispensers. GOJO's products are usually found in public facilities. For many of these facilities, such as manufacturing and hospitals, GOJO makes placement guides, helping consumers place various GOJO product brands in strategic locations. GOJO's most popular products are its industrial hand soaps and sanitizers, as well as its Provon and Purell brands.
Headquarters
GOJO is headquartered in a 213,000 sq ft (19,788 m2) building at One Gojo Plaza on South Main Street in Akron, Ohio. GOJO bought the property from the City of Akron for $1 in 2000 as part of a deal to bring the headquarters to the downtown Akron area from Cuyahoga Falls. The building was originally the headquarters of Goodrich Corporation and then Michelin Americas Small Tires. GOJO employs approximately 600 people at its headquarters.
References
External links
- GOJO Industries website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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