Frank W. Schaefer, Inc (FWS) started business as a refractory contractor in 1930, and began designing and manufacturing industrial furnaces in 1945.

Hickman Williams & Co Hickman, Williams & Company was founded in 1890 in Louisville, Kentucky as a partnership to provide raw materials to the foundry industry.

Foundries around the world use ASI-developed materials to improve furnace efficiency and metal properties.