Nordson history

In 1966, the entire United States Automatic operation was merged into the subsidiary, Nordson Corporation.

Nordson established a foothold in the burgeoning Japanese manufacturing market with the founding of Nordson K.K. in 1969 to distribute American-made machinery.

In 1978, the company began manufacturing industrial robots.

In 1982, James E. Taylor advanced to the presidency and chief executive office, while Eric Nord retired from day-to-day operations, retaining his seat at the head of the board of directors.

By 1984, the company had over $30 million in cash and had reportedly been plied with several takeover and/or merger proposals.

In 1987, the company built a new, $9 million laboratory for product engineering and development near its Amherst headquarters and committed an average of 5 percent of sales annually to research and development.

In 1988, Nordson Foundation was dissolved, and The Nord Family Foundation was one of two entities created to follow it.

The first of these were the 1989 purchases of Industriell Coating Aktiebolag, a specialist in Tribo-charged powder spray technology, and Meltex, a leader in hot melt adhesive dispensing.

Nordson's 1993 decision to obtain ISO 9000 certification from the International Organization of Standardization in Switzerland promised increased global competitiveness as well.

Nordson's corporate tagline encouraged prospective clients to "Expect More." In 1994, company spokespersons indicated that they would expect more from themselves as well, predicting that earnings would more than double by the turn of the 21st century to over $1 billion.

In 1997, Bill Madar retired as CEO and became Chairman, with Edward P. Campbell becoming CEO, and Eric Nord remaining on the Board of Directors.

In 1998, the firm purchased competitor J&M Laboratories Inc., a manufacturer of melt-blowing systems used to produce synthetic nonwoven fabrics.

During that year, the company reported a slight decrease in sales while net income fell to $24.6 million, down from $54.6 million in 2000.

The acquisition in 2004 of W. Puffe Technologies, a manufacturer of hot melt adhesive dispensing systems, expanded Nordson’s existing technology base in adhesive systems, while also providing increased access to European markets.

The acquisitions of Dage Holdings and Yestech in 2007 brought Nordson into a new market area, electronic test and inspection, both of which were highly complementary to the company’s existing dispensing capabilities.

2010s In 2010, Ed Campbell retires as CEO and is replaced by Michael F. Hilton.