Fusion Ceramics History
Ceramic engineers Richard Hannon and William Coulter founded Fusion Ceramics, Inc. in 1971 to manufacture frit for industrial customers in the Eastern and Midwestern US. After a new frit plant was built in 1972 in Carrollton, OH, the business grew steadily as Fusion frits were readily adopted by producers of glazed whitewares, such as tile, sanitaryware, and dinnerware, as well as glazed brick manufacturers. Ceramic artists also came to know and use specific Fusion frits for achieving vivid glazes and special visual effects.
In the mid-1990s, Fusion began blending glazes and bonds in response to customer requests for complete, ready-to-use formulas. This business is still growing, as customers realize convenience, consistency, and storage and cost savings by leveraging our blending capabilities. Prepared glazes, such as our signature BRIKOTE ™ engobe, are popular for creating beautiful finishes on ceramics, tiles and bricks, while prepared bonds simplify our customers’ operations and enhance their product performance.
As North American whiteware manufacturing declined in the 1990s, Fusion successfully entered other markets, including bonded abrasives, metallurgical refractories and technical ceramics. These applications have stringent requirements, and working with our customers to develop tailored solutions has been crucial.
In 2004, Fusion began producing glass colors for glass and ceramic decorators. As with our traditional products, our quality and customer service, particularly rapid color matching, has helped this business thrive. Glass colors are used in various markets, including cosmetic, food and beverage packaging, lighting components, branded drinkware, and flat glass applications.
Our portfolio has grown to include products from other respected manufacturers. We carry ceramic glaze and body stains from CCT (Spain), organic glass paints from ICA Spa (Italy), and many ceramic raw materials and consumables used to make frits, glazes, glass colors and ceramic decals. Fusion Ceramics is proud to be the exclusive North American distributor for BMQ precious metals (Spain) and ATC Colores on-glaze colors and mediums (Spain).
To meet increased demand, Fusion has expanded its production and storage facilities over the years. In the mid-80s, a nearby warehouse site of nearly 2 acres was acquired for storage, shipping and blending operations, while a 5,000 sq. ft. building was added in 2001. Our original plant facility was expanded in 2001 by acquiring an adjacent 10-acre lot, and a 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse was constructed on this property in 2010.
Early customers were concentrated east of the Mississippi River; however, Fusion now supplies products throughout the Americas, and into Europe, Australia and Asia. For over 50 years, our reputation was built on product quality and superior customer service. This business model has been possible only because of our hard-working, dedicated employees and by a deliberate focus on our customers and their unique needs. Fusion Ceramics has worked hard to maintain these competitive advantages and is well-positioned to carry them into the future.