American Laboratory interviewed Joan Hammond about the beginnings of Drierite, and how its revolutionary desiccant has found nearly a century of application in different industries.
Q: What led to the founding of Hammond Drierite?
A: W.A. Hammond received his Ph.D. from Ohio State in 1929 for research on the behavior of the various hydrates of calcium sulfate in the naturally occurring mineral gypsum. This research led to the development of Drierite for use as a commercial desiccant. Dr. Hammond obtained a patent and the company officially began production in 1934. The Drierite name is protected by trademarks in the U.S. and worldwide.
Q: Funding is usually a major issue for a startup. How did you do it? And what would you do differently, looking back?
Dr. W.A. Hammond in front of the original Drierite building in 1935.A: W.A. Hammond started out by doing everything himself. He made the product, shipped the product, advertised and kept his own books. The Drierite Company was started while Dr. Hammond was head of the chemistry department at Antioch College. Most of the early labor force consisted of college students from Antioch’s co-op program. He eventually bought an old storefront building and remodeled it as the business began to grow. All of the original factory equipment was purchased used. The depression had bankrupted many businesses, so used equipment was readily available. Money was borrowed from the bank but huge debts were not incurred. As America entered WWII, the need for Drierite escalated. By 1942 there were two production plants working three shifts. W.A. Hammond didn’t give up his “day job” as chemistry professor until Drierite was fairly well established.
Q: So was your entire family involved with the business?
A: My father, J.P. Hammond, worked at Drierite throughout his youth. He got a degree in chemistry and ran the business from the late ’50’s through the ’80’s. My mother is an accountant and worked in the business for many years. My brother Jim Hammond and I grew up working at Drierite from the time we were about 12 years old. We both worked in production in the summer and during school holidays during our high school and college years. My brother joined the company full time in 1982 after receiving his engineering degree. I joined the company full time in 1986 after working as a research chemist at Monsanto for six years. Joseph Hammond (BS Business) is the fourth generation to work at Drierite.
Q: What do you think contributed to your company’s success?
Present-day Drierite headquarters in Xenia, Ohio.A: Brand recognition. Drierite is a genuinely good product with uses in all areas of science and industry. Diversity of use makes the company somewhat resistant to recession. Our company has remained small and closely controlled. This has allowed our overhead to remain very low, which in turn keeps Drierite economical to use. Drierite employees are all cross-trained and dedicated to the success of the product. Employment turnover is extremely low. This provides continuity and an amazingly effective quality-control system.
Q: Are there any interesting applications of your products?
A: Nearly everyone who has ever worked in a laboratory is familiar with desiccators containing thick layers of blue or white Drierite in the bottom. Glass and plastic columns filled with Drierite are used to dry gas and liquid streams to the lowest residual moisture level achievable by a safe, commercially available desiccant. Drierite has some unique characteristics that make it work where other desiccants fail. Since Drierite reacts with water chemically instead of physically, it works nearly independently of temperature and relative humidity. Many other desiccants release absorbed moisture as the temperature increases, but Drierite does not. This makes it especially useful for maintaining dry environments in outdoor applications.
Range of Drierite desiccants.One of the applications contributing to Drierite’s early success was the prevention of condensation in aeronautical instruments during World War II. Military planes didn’t have pressurized or temperature-controlled cabins in those days. Drierite’s ability to dry the air to a –100 °F dewpoint solved the moisture condensation problems. Removing water from refrigerants was another early large-scale application.
In the 1960s and ’70’s, Drierite desiccant was part of NASA’s CTE (Central Timing Equipment) system for every Apollo mission, including the moon landings. Drierite has a special use in U.S. Naval nuclear submarines. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Drierite has found extensive use in threat-detection systems in airports.
Drierite is used extensively in medical testing, lung ventilation studies, in particular. Every day, new uses are being discovered for Drierite.