The Art Metal Works The Ronson lighter company started as
The Art Metal Works in 1897 and was incorporated on July 20, 1898, by Max Hecht,
Louis Vincent Aronson and Leopold Herzig, in
Newark, New Jersey. Louis V. Aronson was a huge creative driving force for the company; and, with a few business adjustments, including the addition of Alexander Harris (1910–11) as business manager, the company soon became world famous. All accounts state that Louis Aronson was a
gifted man, who at 16 years old set up a money-making shop in his parents' home - before receiving a U.S. patent for a commercially valuable metal-plating process he developed when he was 24 years old, and he sold half the rights while retaining the Right to Use. "His experiments, which he has been conducting since his early youth, resulted in 1893 in the discovery of a process for electrically producing
tinplate. Much money was expended upon improving the process... and has been of great practical value to the whole industry. Retaining its rights, he sold half the patent rights, and later used part of the proceeds to open the Art Metal Works in Newark, N.J. Soon the company was producing a variety of high-quality Lamps, Book ends, Art Statues and other decorative items, prized today for their detail in the collector marketplace.
Lamps, ink wells, hood ornaments and safety matches In the 1910s The Art Metal Works were producing very good quality Hood Ornaments and gained a reputation as a dependable supplier of same. Aronson had established himself as a safety-match development pioneer with his inventions of the "Non-Toxic Match" and the "All-Weather Match" in the 1890s. Another invention of Mr. Aronson was the wind-match, for which he applied for a patent December 29, 1896. He found a chemical combination which ensured combustion in the highest wind, a boon to the tourist as well as to the explorer and the hunter. The patent was granted October 26, 1897, and a testimony to its merits is shown by the following letter written by the former scientific chemist to the
Royal Society of Great Britain in response to an inquiry of some capitalists as to the chemical and commercial importance of the match: In the investigations conducted for the purpose of improving this Windmatch, Aronson discovered the method for making a white phosphorus-free match. This had been a long time goal for chemical investigators in the industrial world, white phosphorus' necessity in match-making being the cause of the industrial disease called "
phossy jaw." The Belgian government had offered a prize of 50,000 francs, or $10,000, in a competition open to the whole world. This offer had stirred up scientists and chemists to redouble their efforts to produce such a match, and many came very near to eliminating this poisonous phosphorus from the match. The prize was, however, awarded to Mr. Aronson, he being adjudged the only one to produce an absolutely non-phosphorus match, and to have complied entirely with the conditions of the contest. "This triumph for American production is hoped will in time secure a generous reward to the discoverer, since negotiations are in progress with some of the largest manufacturers in the world for the rights for its production and sale."
1970s: Decline During the 1970s, Ronson came under increasing pressure from new competition in its core US and UK markets. The main company never returned to profitability, and the different units were soon spun off as independent companies or sold to competitors.
United Kingdom and International unit spun off Continuing losses led to the sale of the UK division in September 1981 to Jeffrey Port, who quickly reorganized it as Ronson International. The losses continued, and the new company was in
receivership by July 1982. Geoffrey Lord bought it in 1983, renamed it Ronson Exports Limited, and attempted to return to profitability by adopting the competition's approach of importing lighters produced cheaply in Asia. In 1994, Howard Hodgson of Halkin Holdings acquired Ronson Exports Ltd for £10 million, reorganizing it again into Ronson
PLC and bringing in skilled management from outside. The product line was re-expanded and the brand reintroduced worldwide. In the late 90s, there was an unsuccessful effort to expand into various "lifestyle products" such as watches and sunglasses, leading to heavy losses and the ousting of Hodgson as CEO.
Victor Kiam (owner of
Remington Products) acquired a controlling interest in the company and became CEO in July 1998. Kiam embarked on cost-cutting measures, including the end of UK production for the company's premier products. By 2001, expansion into
disposable lighters allowed Ronson Intl to post a
marginal profit for the first time in years, but more heavy losses led to major downsizing from 2003-2004 and an abortive effort to rebrand as Powerdraught Limited.
North American sales In 2010, the company filed for bankruptcy and the remaining intellectual property assets (i.e. trademarks) of the core North American companies were sold to longtime competitor
Zippo. Zippo continues to maintain Ronson as a distinct brand identity and markets "RONSON" lighters and "RONSONOL" fuel in the US, Canada, and Mexico. ==Today==