NCH Corporation
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn international marketer and direct-sales provider of industrial maintenance, lubrication, parts-cleaning, plumbing, and water-treatment products and services.
Last updated August 26, 2026
Overview
NCH Corporation is a privately held industrial-products and services company headquartered in Irving, Texas. Its business centers on maintenance, repair, and operations needs, particularly industrial chemicals, lubricants, parts-cleaning solutions, water-treatment services, plumbing components, fasteners, welding supplies, and selected consumer products. The company has historically differentiated itself through direct marketing and a large field-sales organization rather than relying primarily on wholesalers. This model allowed NCH to serve many small and mid-sized industrial, commercial, institutional, and maintenance customers alongside larger accounts. The company began in Dallas in 1919 as National Disinfectant Company, founded by Milton P. Levy. Its early products included a coal-tar disinfectant, insecticide, and institutional liquid hand soap. In the late 1930s it introduced Everbrite, an industrial floor wax that later developed into a multipurpose antibacterial cleaner. The Levy family remained central to ownership and management across the company’s history. After Milton P. Levy died in 1946, Ruth Levy became president, while the family’s next generation expanded sales territories, product development, manufacturing, and international operations. During the 1950s and 1960s, NCH pursued vertical integration, investing in research, manufacturing, and distribution facilities to reduce dependence on outside producers. It acquired Certified Laboratories in the early 1950s and later added Hallmark Chemical Corporation and Lamkin Brothers. In 1960, the business changed its name to National Chemsearch Corporation. It expanded through Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Europe, while its direct-sales infrastructure grew substantially. By the late 1960s, the company had organized additional businesses under names including Plumbmaster and Partsmaster, broadening its scope beyond cleaning chemicals. NCH became publicly traded in 1965 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1969. During the 1970s, it expanded into specialty chemicals, plumbing parts, fasteners, welding supplies, turf-care products, paints, sealers, sewage-treatment chemicals, and safety equipment. In 1978, as the portfolio became more diverse, the company adopted the name NCH Corporation. The 1980s brought a temporary sales slowdown, followed by renewed growth through European expansion and the addition of direct mail, telemarketing, and catalog channels. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, it also expanded into electronic parts distribution and consumer retail products. By the 1990s, NCH operated a broad collection of specialized divisions and subsidiaries. Chemical Specialties included National Chemsearch, Certified Laboratories, Mantek, X-Chem/Terra Services, Pure Solve, and Chem-Aqua. The Partsmaster group supplied maintenance and repair parts, while the Plumbing Products Group served retail and original-equipment customers. The Retail Products Group marketed pet-care and household-related products. NCH also maintained manufacturing plants and branch offices internationally. The Levy family acquired all publicly held shares in 2002, ending NCH’s 37-year period as a public company. In later years, the company divested selected businesses, including Hero Pet Brands in 2019 and the Partsmaster division in 2020. Reference material states that Solenis completed its purchase of NCH in November 2025. NCH therefore continues as an industrial maintenance and specialty-products business within Solenis, although detailed post-acquisition operating information is limited in the supplied sources.
History
NCH Corporation traces its origins to National Disinfectant Company, established in Dallas, Texas, in 1919 by Milton P. Levy. The original business sold disinfectant, insecticide, and institutional hand soap. Its Everbrite floor-wax product, introduced in the late 1930s, later became a broader industrial cleaning product. After Levy’s death in 1946, Ruth Levy assumed the presidency, while Lester, Milton Jr., and Irvin Levy developed sales territories and operational responsibilities. In the 1950s, the company began investing in manufacturing and research to control product supply and quality. It acquired Certified Laboratories, which retained its own brand and sales force but became an important wholly owned subsidiary. NCH expanded its distribution footprint, opened branch offices and plants in several U.S. locations and Puerto Rico, and formalized its sales management and training systems. The company changed its name to National Chemsearch Corporation in 1960 and moved administrative, laboratory, and manufacturing operations to Irving, Texas, in 1962. Acquisitions including Hallmark Chemical Corporation and Lamkin Brothers broadened the portfolio. NCH made its first public stock offering in 1965, although the Levy family retained majority control, and its shares were first listed on the New York Stock Exchange in February 1969. During the 1970s, NCH developed a much broader industrial-products portfolio. It added plumbing, specialty chemicals, fasteners, welding supplies, turf-care products, paints, sealers, sewage-treatment products, and safety equipment. Plumbmaster and Partsmaster became organizing platforms for plumbing and maintenance-repair businesses. The company changed its name to NCH Corporation in 1978 to reflect its diversification and established Kernite SA in Belgium in 1979 for chemical, petrochemical, and lubricant trading. Growth slowed during the early 1980s as industrial customers reduced discretionary maintenance spending and the company faced higher field-sales operating costs. NCH responded by adding direct mail, telemarketing, and catalog channels through Cornerstone Direct in 1986. Sales recovered later in the decade, supported by European expansion and acquisitions in electronic parts distribution. In the early 1990s, NCH expanded in Korea, restructured its Brazilian subsidiary amid economic instability, added Aqua-Flo plumbing connectors, and enlarged both its plumbing and retail product ranges. Retail offerings included pet-care, pet-odor, nursery-care, hardware, and do-it-yourself products. The company also faced environmental and legal matters. In 1998, it agreed to finance cleanup work associated with the Higgins Disposal Superfund Site in New Jersey. In 1999, subsidiary Friendly Systems was found guilty of selling pesticides for an unapproved use after a telephone sale to a South Dakota Head Start program; reports linked the incident to illnesses among children. In 2002, the Levy family bought the remaining public shares, taking NCH private after 37 years as a listed company. The company subsequently continued operating as a multinational direct marketer while selling selected businesses. Hero Pet Brands was sold in 2019, followed by the Partsmaster division in 2020. The supplied reference material reports that Solenis completed the purchase of NCH in November 2025, marking the latest ownership transition identified for the company.
- 2025
Acquired by Solenis
[1]The supplied reference states that Solenis completed its purchase of NCH in November 2025.
- 2020
Partsmaster divested
[1]Lawson Products acquired the Partsmaster division.
- 2002
Taken private by the Levy family
[1]The Levy family acquired all publicly held shares, ending NCH’s public-company period.
- 1978
Renamed NCH Corporation
[1]The company changed its name to reflect its increasingly diversified product lines.
- 1969
New York Stock Exchange listing
[1]NCH stock was listed on the NYSE for the first time in February.
- 1965
First public stock offering
NCH made its first public stock offering while the Levy family retained control.
- 1960
Name changed to National Chemsearch Corporation
[1]The company adopted a name reflecting its expanded chemical-products business.
- 1919
National Disinfectant Company founded
[1]Milton P. Levy founded the predecessor of NCH Corporation in Dallas, Texas.
Products and positioning
A diversified, direct-sales supplier of maintenance, repair, and operations products and services for industrial, commercial, institutional, plumbing, and selected consumer markets.
Industrial chemicals
National Chemsearch
NCH’s core industrial-chemical business, covering maintenance chemicals, cleaners, lubricants, drain and waste biologicals, and related products sold through direct marketing channels.
Specialty chemicals
Certified Laboratories
A wholly owned specialty-chemicals subsidiary that historically operated with its own brand identity and sales organization. Its products formed part of NCH’s industrial maintenance portfolio.
Water treatment
Chem-Aqua
A water-treatment services business supplying treatment products and related technical services for industrial and commercial water systems.
Parts cleaning
Pure Solve
A parts-washing service business within NCH’s Chemical Specialties operations, focused on cleaning support for maintenance and industrial customers.
Maintenance and repair parts
Partsmaster
A group supplying fasteners, welding supplies, and other maintenance and repair parts. NCH sold the division to Lawson Products in 2020.
Plumbing supplies
Plumbmaster and plumbing products
A plumbing-products portfolio serving retail consumers, original-equipment manufacturers, and professional maintenance users. It included specialty plumbing items and flexible tubing connectors marketed under Aqua-Flo.
Pet supplies
Hero Pet Brands
A pet-products business formerly included in NCH’s retail portfolio. NCH sold the business to Manna Pro Products in 2019.
Controversies
2016
China bribery investigation and penalty
NCH agreed to pay a U.S. government fine of $335,342 after an investigation covering 2011–2013 found that NCH China had bribed Chinese government officials to obtain business. NCH voluntarily reported the violation.
1999
Friendly Systems pesticide-use conviction
NCH subsidiary Friendly Systems was found guilty in Dallas of selling pesticides for uses not approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The case concerned a 1995 sale to a South Dakota Head Start program after a representative said the product could be used to sanitize children’s toothbrushes; reported symptoms included nosebleeds, fatigue, mouth blisters, and joint pain.
Brand decisions
2025
Acquisition by SolenisM&ABackground
NCH operated as a privately held international supplier of industrial maintenance and specialty products.
Action taken
Reference material states that Solenis completed the purchase of NCH Corporation in November 2025.
Aftermath
NCH became part of Solenis, although detailed post-acquisition brand and operating arrangements are not identified in the supplied material.
2020
Sale of PartsmasterM&ABackground
Partsmaster was NCH’s maintenance and repair-parts division, including fasteners and welding supplies.
Action taken
NCH sold Partsmaster to Lawson Products for approximately $35.3 million plus assumed liabilities.
Aftermath
Partsmaster became part of Lawson Products’ industrial distribution operations.
Transaction value. Approximately $35.3 million plus assumption of certain liabilities (2020)
2019
Sale of Hero Pet BrandsM&ABackground
NCH divested a consumer pet-products business outside its central industrial-maintenance focus.
Action taken
Hero Pet Brands was sold to Manna Pro Products, a Morgan Stanley Capital Partners portfolio company.
Aftermath
The transaction reduced NCH’s retail pet-products exposure.
2002
Return to private ownershipStrategyBackground
The Levy family had retained control throughout NCH’s public-company period and sought full ownership of the business.
Action taken
The family purchased 100 percent of the publicly held shares and took NCH private.
Aftermath
The transaction ended NCH’s 37-year history as a publicly traded company.
Recent events
- 2025
Solenis completes purchase of NCH Corporation[1]
M&A
Reference material states that Solenis completed its acquisition of NCH Corporation in November 2025.
- 2020
NCH sells Partsmaster division to Lawson Products[1]
M&A
Lawson Products acquired NCH’s Partsmaster division for approximately $35.3 million plus the assumption of certain liabilities.
- 2019
NCH sells Hero Pet Brands[1]
M&A
NCH sold its Hero Pet Brands business to Manna Pro Products, a portfolio company of Morgan Stanley Capital Partners.
- 2014
Texas jury awards damages in NCH truck-crash case[1]
Lawsuit
A Harris County civil jury awarded $11 million to the family of a man killed in a 2011 collision involving an NCH tractor-trailer and found the company negligent in driver training and supervision.
- 2011
NCH settles California sales-representative expense lawsuit[1]
Lawsuit
NCH agreed to pay $1.4 million to resolve claims by salespeople who alleged that the company failed to reimburse covered business expenses.
Sources1 sources
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