Company history of Belzona

Originally named 'Northern Metalife Limited', Belzona was founded in 1952 by Danish entrepreneur Jorgen Svendsen (1921-1999).

The company, established in Elland, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, specialised in the flame spraying of steel with zinc to provide corrosion protection.

In 1957 the company moved to Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom, where it pioneered the development of innovative polymer technology that has revolutionised the ways in which repair and maintenance procedures are carried out within industrial and commercial facilities, with substantial investment in research and development and manufacturing.

In the 1960's, the Belzona company was formed specifically to market a range of metal repair products. As a result, Belzona Metal was born, the predecessor to our now popular bestseller Belzona 1111 (Super Metal).

By 1961, from a newly opened office in Copenhagen, Denmark, the company began the appointment of a European Distributor Network.

1979 saw the launch of the distinctive packaging affectionately named ‘The Module'. The Base of Belzona products are generally sold in the orange module and the Solidifier in the black one.

The 1980's was a decade of expansion for Belzona, with the official opening of the ‘Belzona Institute of Applied Molecular Technology' in 1982 and significant developments in consolidation, sales literature and product development to exceed the ever-increasing industry demands.

In the 1990's, Belzona moved into the new Belzona Technology Centre facilities in Harrogate, UK, which were officially opened on 4th July 1992.

In addition, Belzona's Miami office was opened following the transfer from its original New York headquarters.

By 1994, Belzona took a major step forward with the development of high temperature coatings for erosion and corrosion resistance.

In 2002, Belzona launched Belzona Technosol Limited to provide the UK market with expert application services of Belzona materials

Joel Svendsen, the son of Jorgen, took over the company in 2003. Joel, like his father is a keen entrepreneur with a strong business drive. Under his leadership, Belzona is now a truly international organisation, with the Belzona family spirit growing ever stronger.

In 2005, as part of Belzona's mission to encourage strong and steady growth among its distributorships and to enhance our market potential and visibility within the Asia Pacific region, Belzona opened a workshop and training facility in Pattaya, Thailand.

In early 2005, to increase our coverage and profitability in the productive region of Canada, Belzona opened another corporate office in Toronto.

On Monday 23rd July 2008, Belzona held a ‘Ground Breaking Ceremony' to celebrate a £3,500,000 investment to expand the existing state of the art facility at our Harrogate based Headquarters.

In January 2010, Belzona demonstrated the outstanding performance of Belzona 1251 (HA-Metal) by suspending a Mercedes SL500 AMG above a Mercedes S320 LCDI.

The material was applied to a connecting joint only 75mm in diameter and cured immediately prior to the lift. With the Mercedes weighing over 2.2 tones and a minimal amount of adhesive, it demonstrated that the Belzona 1251 (HA-Metal) is able to carry over 1.8 million times its own weight.

In an effort to develop global application standards, in 2011 Belzona introduced its ‘Validated Training Programme' designed to provide distributors and contractors with the training and know-how to consistently perform top class applications.

2012 was the year in which Belzona celebrated its 60th anniversary.

On 14th February, Belzona turned 60 and to acknowledge this achievement hosted various events throughout the year.

2014 has been a year of product innovation. Continued investment and commitment to research and development has resulted in the introduction of a variety of products being brought to the global market. Firstly the next generation of internal linings for high temperature equipment operating under immersion. Belzona 1523 and Belzona 1593 are high temperature epoxy coatings that surpass the existing technology available in the market by providing outstanding corrosion and chemical resistance, and its cold curing mechanism allows for full in service cure, reducing the downtime.

Secondly a new peelable coating concept has been formulated specifically for the protection of flanges, fastenings and associated pipework. This system is a combination of two products: a tough flexible encapsulating topcoat Belzona 3411 (Encapsulating Membrane) and a corrosion inhibitor, Belzona 8411, which also has release properties allowing the top coat to be peelable.

Finally, the launch of Belzona 7111 (Industrial Grade) and Belzona 7111 (Marine Grade), the flagship products in the new 7000 series. These superior pouring choking, backing and levelling compounds are designed to repair damaged foundations to support and maintain precise alignment under machinery, ensuring effective bearing underneath, where performance and operating reliability are crucial.

Continuing to develop market driven solutions to meet the consistent demand of industry and commerce, Belzona now have offices in Europe, North America and Asia. With a global Distribution network of over 140 distributors in more than 120 countries, we are thrilled to celebrate over 60 years of success and look forward to a bright and expansive future.