Contec, Inc. was founded in Spartanburg, South Carolina in1988 by Jack McBride and Jim Smith as a distribution company focusing on the needs of the cleanroom manufacturing industry. The customer base included the following type of customers: semiconductor, microelectronics, medical device, magnetic media, compact disc, optics, and pharmaceutical.

In 1990, the company entered the business of manufacturing fabric wipers for the cleanroom industry. This transition to manufacturing of the products laid the foundation for the specialty products Contec is known for today.

Contec paved a new way of business through its development of presaturated wipes. While this is a relatively common concept (think baby wipes), it had not yet been applied to the industrial wipe market. Contec developed its first presaturated product, PROSAT® wipes in the early 1990’s and slowly established a business around this flagship product

In 1994 the presaturated wipes were introduced to the automotive industry for use in wiping cars before painting. The product was a gamechanger for the industry as it enabled the companies to reduce usage of hazardous solvents, improve safety for their workers, and greatly improve the quality of the finished paint job.

Contec opens Locust Grove, its first fully-designed manufacturing facility, to support the growth of the company and bring more manufacturing capabilities in-house.

While Contec continued to grow its manufacturing capabilities at the Spartanburg, SC based Locust Grove facility, we also moved forward with the acquisition of Toledo, Ohio-based Thunderbolt® products, our largest distributor in the automotive market. Contec maintains a facility in Toledo today.

Contec extends its reach and opens its manufacturing plant in Suzhou, China to support the growing industries in the Asia-Pacific markets. Contec maintains a dedicated team in Asia today with manufacturing in Suzhou and team members spread throughout the region.

To support the growing Cleanroom business in Europe, Contec establishes a facility in Vannes, France, which continues to operate today.

Contec achieves ISO 9001:2008 quality management certification.

Avi Lawrence is named President of Contec, inc. Avi continues to serve in this role today.

Contec opens its Ashington, United Kingdom facility to manufacture sterile disinfectants for the growing European Cleanroom market.

Contec expands in Spartanburg, adding a second location, Wingo Park. Today, Wingo Park houses many of the company’s business offices, corporate functions, and some manufacturing facilities.

Contec moves South Carolina distribution to the Flatwood Facility in Chesnee, SC to support the growing needs of our customers. Our Flatwood facility still serves as our primary warehousing and distribution site.

Contec expands its presence in the Asia Pacific region through its opening of a manufacturing plant in the Special Economic Zone of Laguna in the Philippines. This 50,000 square foot facility takes Contec's global associate count to more than 1,100.