Staying in the Black: Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions

In the ancient Middle East, it was used as a mortar for bricks and stones. In the Far East, for waterproofing ships, scabbards, canteens and other items. The early Japanese used it to cast statues, and the ancient Egyptians used it to mummify…well, mummies. They even called it mumiya.

Today, it’s known as asphalt, and it’s what Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions has been using to build success since 1980. In fact, thanks to breakthrough product development and expansive manufacturing facilities, the company is now a leader in the industry.

Headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions markets across the United States in locations spread from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Bainbridge, Georgia, and covers 13 terminals. These terminals service the highway construction business with paving grade asphalt, high-performance polymer-modified SUPERPAVE™ asphalt, and emulsion products to suppliers across the United States.

The company’s breakthrough products and pioneering research and development have earned a solid reputation in the industry and have allowed Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions to attract a variety of high-profile projects.

When Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway enacted plans to repave the legendary racetrack for the first time since 1979, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions rose to the occasion. Based on the excellent performance data of the company’s liquid binder and mix designs, the project engineers chose Ergon’s specialty Sealoflex Performance Grades of polymer-modified asphalts, using it to recoat and reinforce the entire 2.66-mile oval track, including the apron and pit road. The project was handled out of the company’s Birmingham, Alabama facility. Since then, Ergon and its superior Sealoflex binder have become sought-after favorite on the NASCAR circuit. Currently, the company is in line to repave Sonoma, California’s Infineon Raceway and Arizona’s Phoenix International Raceway, and bids to repave other tracks across the country are under review.

But, as in ancient times, the versatility of asphalt makes it useful for far more than durable roadways, protecting them from the rigors of modern automobile travel. Ertech, the company’s Technical Coatings division, utilizes it in the cars themselves. Patrick Nation, Vice President of Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, says, “Usually, asphalt on a car is a bad thing, a hazard of the roadway and a nightmare to remove from the paint. But we actually use it to produce a sound damper membrane that coats the inside metal in cars.” The application is part of the company’s BETADAMP™ product line, a sprayable, vibration-damping coating that’s chip-and corrosion-resistant.

BETADAMP™ is just one of many product lines that reveal new and innovative ways Ergon utilizes the black, sticky, and highly viscous substance distilled from crude petroleum. Executive Vice President, J. Baxter Burns, II affirms, “When we started this division, we made it our overarching goal to bring something meaningful to every single product that could benefit from asphalt. And we’re on track to realize that goal in the very near future.”

But as the name implies, asphalt is just part of the story behind Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions. Thanks to their environmental compatibility, emulsions are a large and growing part of their business, emerging as the products of choice for pavement maintenance, roofing and specialty industry applications. The company’s research and development team continues to create emulsion products that are safer to work with, better for the environment, and that improve driving conditions.

In addition to Ertech and Ergon Asphalt Products, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions works closely with Crafco, an Ergon company that manufacturers more than 50 types of asphalt crack sealants. Headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Crafco operates manufacturing facilities in Arizona, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania and distribution centers throughout the world. Crafco is the world’s leading manufacturer of equipment used to apply sealants and other pavement maintenance materials. Recently, the company announced the acquisition of Innovative Adhesives Company, a leading manufacturer of specialty asphalt coatings and adhesives, located in Kansas City, Kansas.

According to Nation, “We take vertical integration seriously. Working together with our various companies and divisions gives us the ability to cover virtually any asphalt product or problem. But it’s our inventive thinking that really positions us to have a huge impact on the asphalt market of tomorrow.”

With plants located from coast to coast, Ergon’s expanding facilities allow the company to capitalize on this inventive thinking with more products for more customers with greater benefits.

With a dedication to excellence, innovation, and teamwork, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions is truly doing its part to help Ergon stay in the black.