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Armor All

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Armor All
Armor All logo(2016).png
Product typeCar care products
OwnerEnergizer Holdings
Introduced1972; 52 years ago (1972)
Previous ownersClorox, McKesson Corporation, Spectrum Brands
TaglineRespect your car
Websitewww.armorall.com

Armor All is an American brand of car care products that is manufactured by Armored AutoGroup of Danbury, Connecticut, United States. The company markets sprays, gels, liquids, and wipes to clean, shine, and protect interior and exterior automobile surfaces.

According to patent documents, Armor All typically contains water, PDMS (silicone), diethylene glycol, glycerin, and various additional chemical compounds.[1]

History

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Invention

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The chemical formula for Armor All was invented by polymer chemist Joe Palcher in 1962. He began selling it in 1966 under the name Trid-on (no dirt spelled backwards).[2][3] It was initially sold out of a specialty car shop in Southern California and then expanded to the Briggs Cunningham Automotive Museum in Costa Mesa, California and Parnelli Jones tire stores.[4][5]

It quickly grew in popularity selling through periodicals like Hot Rod Magazine.[3]

Car enthusiast and salesman Alan Rypinski discovered Trid-on in 1972 while trying to restore a 1959 Jaguar.[6] He bought the rights to Trid-on and renamed the product as Armor All Protectant.[2] The first test products were called RT-10 and GT-10.[7] The following year, he launched Very Important Products Inc. to market it, employing regional sales managers who worked out of motor homes and traveled to county fairs, shopping malls, and trade shows. Rypinski made $220,000 in sales the first year.[8][5] In 1976, he patented Armor All Protectant.[2]

Sale to McKesson Corporation

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In 1979, Rypinski had reached $80 million in sales. He sold Very Important Products and the Armor All brand for $50 million to the San Francisco-based consumer products company McKesson Corporation. Rypinski stayed on as a consultant for the next five years.[8][9][5]

RT-10 Tire and Rubber Treatment
GT-10

By the 1980s, Armor All controlled over 90% of the market and was being used on everything from cars to briefcases and golf bags.[10] In 1982, Armor All introduced a car wash formula as an alternative to common dish soap[2] and reached $70 million in sales by 1984. New company president Jeffrey Sherman pushed the brand into international markets. Armor All debuted in Japan in 1984 and West Germany in 1985. Domestically, the company attempted to market to women and high school students.[5]

In 1986, the company introduced Clean Start car cleaner[10] and McKesson spun off the brand as Armor All Products, Inc. as part of an initial public offering. McKesson held a 83% stake in the new company.[11][5] Armor All's sales exceeded $100 million that year.[8]

In 1988, it introduced Armor All Car Wax, entering the car wax space and competing directly with Rain Dance and Turtle Wax.[10] By this time, market research indicated the Protectant was in 25 million U.S. homes, about 33% of all domestic households.[9] It also purchased Borden, Inc.'s car care products line, which included well-known name brands such as Rain Dance, Rally, and No. 7, for $26 million.[12] This acquisition significantly broadened the company's product line and put Armor All in control of 38% of the wash-and-wax market.[13] By 1989, Armor All reached $162 million in sales.[5]

Economic hardships of the 1990s

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By 1990, Armor All began to struggle in the market for multiple reasons. Despite owning over 80% market share, the company was challenged by STP's Son of a Gun offering that captured 10% of the market in less than two years. The Borden acquisition also proved to be a challenge as management was unable to properly adapt to a large corporate structure with significant distribution operations. Long-time president Jeffrey M. Sherman's expansion efforts proved to be more costly than expected. The economic reality of the early 1990s recession also meant that consumers were spending less on the maintenance of their car. The company suffered its first decrease in annual earnings in its history. Sherman resigned in March and the company's stock value fell by 15%.[14][5]

Net income fell to less than $20 million in 1990 and less than $7 million in 1991.[5] In March 1991, Armor All's nine-month earnings fell sharply to $4.5 million, from $15.1 million during the same period of the previous year. Revenue also declined to $90.7 million from $104.1 million.[15] Analysts believed the company's complacency was to blame and that McKesson should sell the business.[16] Armor All introduced its Tire Foam Protectant in 1992[2] and Quick Silver Wheel Cleaner soon after. That year, Rypinski rejoined the company as chairman emeritus to help expand into home care products. This led to the purchase of the EZ Deck Wash brand, which was expanded to include products for washing and protecting decks, vinyls, and plastics[5]

By the end of 1995, McKesson reported that Armor All was operating at a loss.[17] Around this time, the company reduced its stock in Armor All to 55%.[18]

The Armor All brand suffered costly setbacks in 1996. The company took an $8 million charge to correct a problem with faulty aerosol cans of its QuickSilver Wheel Cleaner. Following complaints that the EZ Deck Wash caused spotting in some cases, the company was sued by the Orange County District Attorney's Office. Armor All announced in September that it would change the product's label instructions and avoid a lawsuit.[19][20]

In October 1996, Armor All purchased Car-Rex, a German maker of car appearance products, coolants, air fresheners, and antifreeze, from Werner & Mertz. Car-Rex was merged into its German operations.[21]

Clorox ownership

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In November 1996, Clorox announced its intention to acquire Armor All for $408 million by the end of the year. Included in the sale were two plants, one in Painesville, Ohio and the other in Wales. At this time, Armor All reported $186 million in revenue and led the automotive cleaning products market with a 30% share.[11] The acquisition helped Clorox gain entry into the autocare industry and Australia market, and expanded its market share in Japan.[22]

Nielsen CDG UK was appointed car care distributor for Armor All products by Clorox UK.[23] Nielsen CDG is part of the Convenience Distribution Group supplying petrol (gasoline) stations in the United Kingdom.[24]

Clorox issued a recall of Armor All's wheel cleaner in September 1997, following the death of a child who drank some of the product. At the time, QuickSilver's active ingredient was ammonium bifluoride, a highly toxic substance.[25] Clorox added to its car care assets in October 1998, when it acquired STP with First Brand Corp.[26] In 2000, Armor All Wipes were introduced to the market.[2]

In 2008, Armor All released a complete line of automotive vacuums. Armor All made $300 million in sales in 2009, about 5% of total revenue for Clorox.[27] This was a 22% decrease from 2005. As a result, Clorox began to explore ways to offload its car care assets as early as 2007.[28]

Acquisition by Avista, Spectrum, and Energizer

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Previous logo

In September 2010, Clorox sold its car-care brands Armor All and STP to Avista Capital Partners.[27] It named the business Armored AutoGroup. In April 2015, the Armored AutoGroup was acquired by Spectrum Brands.[29][30] Energizer bought the Spectrum Brands auto care business unit (including Armor All, STP and A/C Pro) in November 2018 for $1.25 billion in cash and stock.[31]

The company introduced Ultra Shine Wash Wipes and Ultra Shine Wax Wipes in 2017, aimed at urban millennials who don't have access to traditional car washing accoutrements. It started selling air fresheners in 2018.[32]

References

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  1. ^ USA patent US5518533A, Michael W. Howe, "Automotive protectant for use with cleaning compositions", published 21 May 1996 
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Armor All® History and Timeline". www.armorall.com. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  3. ^ a b Ricker, Amanda (1 Apr 2010). "Armor All founder and Bozeman resident shares experience with MSU students". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Montana, USA. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  4. ^ Brennan, Bryan (January 2018). I Drive On the Original Dragstrip. Vol. 47. New York, New York: The Enthusiast Network. p. 10.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Grant, Tina, ed. (1997). International directory of company histories. Vol.16. Internet Archive. Detroit ; London : St. James Press. pp. 42–44. ISBN 978-1-55862-219-7.
  6. ^ La Ganga, Maria L. (1988-02-02). "Business People : A NEW WRINKLE : Entrepreneur Insists His 'Iron in a Can' Will Sell Like His Armor All". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  7. ^ Ricker, Amanda (1 Apr 2010). "Armor All founder and Bozeman resident shares experience with MSU students". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Montana, USA. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  8. ^ a b c Emmis Communications (Oct 1987). "Orange Coast Magazine". Orange Coast. Emmis Communications: 140–. ISSN 0279-0483.
  9. ^ a b La Ganga, Maria L. (1988-02-02). "Business People : A NEW WRINKLE : Entrepreneur Insists His 'Iron in a Can' Will Sell Like His Armor All". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  10. ^ a b c Tighe, John Charles (1988-05-07). "Irvine Company Aims to Dominate Market : Armor All Hopes the Introduction of Car Wax Will Be No Pig in a Poke". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  11. ^ a b O’dell, John (1996-11-27). "O.C.'s Armor All Agrees to Purchase by Clorox Co". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  12. ^ "Briefs". The New York Times. September 13, 1988. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  13. ^ McCullom, Rod (1988-09-13). "Armor All Obtains Competing Line of Car Products : Irvine-Based Company Makes $26-Million Deal with Borden". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  14. ^ O’dell, John (1990-03-25). "Chinks Develop in Armor All's Market Share : Auto products: It still commands 81% of segment sales, but its formerly invincible strength has begun to slip in the face of competition". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  15. ^ Feder, Barnaby J. (March 17, 1991). "McKesson: No. 1 but a Doze on Wall Street". The New York Times. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Lev, Michael (March 22, 1991). "Armor All Hires Chief From Kodak Subsidiary". The New York Times. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  17. ^ "McKesson Picks Mark Pulido As President; Profit Drops 4%". The Wall Street Journal. April 26, 1996. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  18. ^ O’dell, John (1996-11-27). "O.C.'s Armor All Agrees to Purchase by Clorox Co". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  19. ^ "Armor All changes label instructions". UPI. September 11, 1996. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  20. ^ Granelli, James S. (1996-09-12). "Armor All Products Settles Suit for $60,000". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  21. ^ "Armor All Buying Car-Rex". The New York Times. October 18, 1996. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  22. ^ "0000021076-97-000008.txt". UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION. September 26, 1997. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  23. ^ "Nielsen CDG: Search Armor All". Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  24. ^ "Nielsen CDG: About Us". Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  25. ^ "Car-Care Product Recalled After Girl Dies". The New York Times. September 4, 1997. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  26. ^ "Clorox to buy First Brands". money.cnn.com. October 19, 1998. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  27. ^ a b "Avista to Buy Car-Care Unit From Clorox". The New York Times. September 21, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  28. ^ McCracken, Jeffrey; Cimilluca, Dana; Byron, Ellen (April 9, 2010). "Clorox Is Moving Toward Sale of Auto Brands STP, Armor All". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  29. ^ "HRG Group, Inc. Announces Armored AutoGroup Acquisition By Spectrum Brands". www.prnewswire.com. April 28, 2015. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  30. ^ Stynes, Tess (April 28, 2015). "Spectrum Brands to Acquire Armored AutoGroup in $1.4 Billion Deal". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  31. ^ Balu, Nivedita (2018-11-15). "Energizer adds Armor All, STP brands in $1.25 billion Spectrum deal". Reuters. London. Archived from the original on 2019-04-25. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  32. ^ Buss, Dale (April 29, 2018). "Armor All Enlists John Cena To Promote New Products For Getting Millennials Interested In Car Care". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
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