The History of Bigelow-Liptak

Discover the history of Bigelow-Liptak. It begins in 1927 with the merger of the Bigelow Arch Company of Detroit and the Liptak Firebrick Arch Company of Minneapolis. It started as a direct subsidiary of A.P. Green Refractories Company. Bigelow-Liptak of Canada was incorporated in Toronto in 1940.

In the early years, the focus was entirely on suspended refractory arch and wall construction. While we still provide these products today, they now represent only a small portion of our overall business.

After World War II, refractory construction activities expanded, particularly in the petrochemical industry. To this day, the company remains a leader in specialized refractory applications, such as linings for secondary reformers, waste heat boilers for methanol and ammonia plants, and complete transfer lines.

Bigelow-Liptak also moved into full furnace design. This started with specialized moist fuel furnaces for burning bagasse in the sugar cane industry, followed by unique coal-fired furnaces for drying coal in preparation plants.

In the 1960s, as natural gas and oil replaced coal, our cylindrical hot air furnaces featuring patented air-cooled suspended refractory construction became the industry standard — and they remain so today.

Since the 1950s, our engineering capabilities have grown steadily. We now deliver complete and complex systems across many industries, including glass, secondary metals, aluminum, coal processing, and petrochemicals.

Throughout the history of Bigelow-Liptak, we completed many significant projects in the glass and ceramics sector during the 1970s. Clients included major companies such as PPG, Ford Motor Company, and Corning Glass Works. These projects featured high-temperature roller hearths, decorating lehrs, float glass annealing lehrs, and gas hearth tempering furnaces.

We also became well known for advanced combustion systems. Bigelow-Liptak pioneered the regenerative incinerator in North America. One of the very first units was installed in 1964 at an R.J. Reynolds plant in North Carolina, where it successfully destroys noxious tobacco fumes and continues to operate today.

In 1985, A.P. Green sold the engineering and construction division to key employees. Then, in 1992, The Stebbins Engineering and Manufacturing Company of Watertown, New York acquired the Bigelow-Liptak Corporation.  As a division of Canadian Stebbins Engineering & Mfg. Co. ULC, Bigelow-Liptak of Canada has a sales office in Oakville, Ontario. Both subsidiaries are capable of completing projects ranging from small construction jobs to multi-million dollar engineering and construction contracts.  The largest recent single contract was approximately ten million dollars.

Bigelow-Liptak Today

Today, Bigelow-Liptak operates from Stebbins’ global headquarters in Watertown, New York, with a Canadian sales office in Oakville, Ontario. We handle everything from small construction jobs to multi-million dollar engineering and construction contracts.

Bigelow-Liptak maintain full in-house capabilities in engineering, drafting, refractory design and installation, and a dedicated service team for startup, commissioning, and ongoing support.

We trust that the history of Bigelow-Liptak gives you real insight into our deep experience and technical expertise. Our heritage gives us unmatched knowledge of refractories, combustion, and how these processes impact refractory lining life — the biggest ongoing maintenance concern for any furnace.

Thank you for your interest in our company. We have the technology, experience, and team to deliver high-quality equipment and services with full support.