In 1866, young Henry Sherwin ventured to set up a small business for reselling paints. It was the beginning of a company that would later become an important industry in the field of paint, which is now present in several countries.
Henry Sherwin, with a great entrepreneurial spirit, entrusted the future potential of the company, but his first partner, Truman Dunhan, did not accompany him and withdrew from the business three years later. Two new members joined in his place, but only one of them remained in the activity – Edwar Porter Williams. The new partnership, which began in 1870, was given the trade name of Sherwin-Williams & Co. Three years later, at which time the competition was engaged in the trade of linseed oil, the partners carried out studies on the North American paint market, since they sought to manufacture them.
The company prospered and set up its first production unit in 1873. From 1880 it developed significantly. In that year it released SWP – Sherwin-Williams Paint, which became a great sales success. Since then the business has continued to expand. At the turn of the century it was already a big company and soon came to dominate the paint market in the United States and Canada, always investing in research, development of new products.
In 1930 it absorbed one of the oldest paint companies in the world, John Lucas & Co., of Philadelphia, and the next step was the expansion of its industrial activities to America and the world. In the early 40s, after it was established in Havana and Buenos Aires, the chosen city was São Paulo.
A Sherwin-Williams arrived in Brazil in 1938. In 1944, it started its local production, with the acquisition of Soperba, which was a paint industry headquartered in Moema. After upgrading that unit, it began what the researchers call a “second stage” of the history of the paint market – the insertion of the first PVA paint (water based), with the brand Kem Tone.
In the 70s, it was the first industry of the sector to use the technique of mixing paints in stores. In the same period, it innovated with the release of the first acrylic paint in the Brazilian market, the famous brand Metalatex
In 1982,Sherwin-Williams began a major expansion project of its activities, to inaugurate a high-tech factory above the standards of the time, in São Bernardo do Campo (SP), where it remained until 1997, when it moved to Taboão da Serra – a factory already designed to comply with ISO 14 001.
In 1995,Sherwin-Williams Company acquired the company of automotive paints Lazzuril, founded in 1978.
Since the acquisition,the Sherwin Williams Automotive Division in Brazil invests heavily in the development and production of various innovative products that meet the needs of all our customers.
In 1999, the the Sherwin Williams Automotive Division was granted the Quality Certificate ISO 9001, thus confirming the suitability of its management system to standards of quality. This certificate is already updated to the 2008 version.
In 2000, the company released the system Lazzudur High Solids, composed of polyester and polyurethane primers and all the line accessories.
In 2004, the company introduced the high-performance system aimed at high productivity processes, the Fast Line.
The environmentally responsible company, in January 2004, was granted the Environmental Management Certificate ISO14001.
In 2007, it received the OHSAS – 18001 Certificate, 2007 version – Safety and Health Management System. The Division Lazzuril was the first unit of Sherwin-Williams, with a plant outside the United States, to be granted this certification.
The Sherwin Williams Automotive Division now operates in several Latin American countries such as Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, and works to develop and improve its products, which already exceed six thousand items, as well as its services, so as to better serve its customers.