The site has been in a constant state of reinvention throughout its history and that tradition is continuing in delightful new ways.
There’s beauty in the pure industrial utility of the structures, form following function. The facility has been in a constant state of evolution, meeting the needs of production and incorporating new technology over the years. The buildings themselves morphing – streamlining and expanding – with market forces. Gone are the old stacks from the coal-fired beehive kilns, for instance, swapped decades later with what at the time was more efficient natural gas and more advanced manufacturing processes. Each generation marks a steady progression towards sustainability. This site has been an economic engine and employment center for the community for over a century and now the time has come to bring a new measure of value to Golden and yet another generation of eco-innovation using electric power from renewable resources.
Since its humble 1910 beginnings as Herold China & Pottery, then as Coors Porcelain Company, Coors Ceramics and eventually CoorsTek, this site has seen numerous groundbreaking advancements in engineered ceramics and materials sciences.
The facility has produced fine (now collectible) dinnerware, porcelain labware, ceramic insulators, semiconductors and military-grade ceramic armor – just to name a few – while pioneering kiln technology, manufacturing techniques, and chemical compositions, creating stronger, lighter, more effective ceramic-based products along the way. And in 1959, the inspiration to manufacture beer cans resulted in the recyclable aluminum beverage can we all use today. On a site that’s always been about what’s next, the next chapter couldn’t be more exciting. More at coorstek.com
Herold China & Pottery Company, precursor to CoorsTek, started with help from Adolph Coors
Developed chemical and scientific labware using local clays
Changed name to Coors Porcelain company and started production of several dinnerware lines, the most successful being the Rosebud design
The company’s success in manufacturing labware and dinnerware helped to keep many brewery employees working during prohibition
Circular and tunnel kilns replaced beehive kilns as Coors Porcelain Company continued to expand and grow
Became a world leader in the production of chemical porcelain labware, manufacturing over 300 shapes and sizes
Acquired spray drying and isostatic forming technology from Champion Spark Plug, helping to launch Coors Porcelain Company into a new era of ceramic manufacturing
Joseph Coors Sr. forms the first research and development group at Coors Porcelain, the start of the company becoming a leader in technical ceramics
Became one of the first companies in the world to provide ceramic-to-metal bonding services for the electronics industry
Breakthrough in dry press forming for high volume production
Developed the manufacturing process for the recyclable aluminum beverage can in Golden
Revolutionized the ceramics industry with the development of high purity aluminas, expanding the range of ceramics applications
Lightweight ceramic armor components developed for military
Developed electrostatic precipitator insulators to reduce smokestack emissions
Manufactured thin-film substrates for electronic applications
Engineered advanced technical ceramic materials, including a transparent ceramic
Coors Porcelain became Coors Ceramics, reflecting the material advancements and broad product range
Manufactured lighter, stronger next-generation ceramic armor plate components
Began development on new material formulations for the semiconductor industry
Coors Ceramics became CoorsTek, highlighting our technical ceramics industry expertise and material development
Launched CoorsTek Bioceramics, manufacturing high tech ceramic components for implantable medical devices
Worked with NASA on MOXIE, part of the Mars Rover Perseverance, which uses CoorsTek technology to produce oxygen from the CO2 in the Martian atmosphere
Led by John K Coors, acquired the advanced ceramics businesses of Saint Gobain and Covalent Materials, the largest expansion in CoorsTek history
Moved manufacturing out of the original building in Golden to other facilities, paving the way to redevelop the site
Clayworks redevelopment plan for the site in Golden unanimously approved by the city
CoorsTek moves production to new state-of-the-art facility
