science

NL Industries

NL Industries is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand NL Industries rather than just read about it. In short: NL Industries (NYSE: NL), formerly known as the National Lead Company, is a lead smelting company currently based in Dallas, Texas. National Lead was one of the 12 original stocks included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average at the time of its creation on May 26, 1896.

Key takeaways

NL Industries belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect NL Industries to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NL Industries from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NL Industries (NYSE: NL), formerly known as the National Lead Company, is a lead smelting company currently based in Dallas, Texas. National Lead was one of the 12 original stocks included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average at the time of its creation on May 26, 1896.

History It began business in Philadelphia in 1772. The name "National Lead Company" was used since 1891 after a series of mergers. National Lead changed its name to NL Industries in 1971.

California lead paint liability case NL Industries has encountered legal problems based on their long history of selling lead paint. Exposure to lead paint can cause numerous health and developmental problems in children and adults, and its use has been banned or restricted in many countries. In January 2014, the Santa Clara County Superior Court ruled that NL Industries, along with Sherwin-Williams and ConAgra, were jointly and severally liable for $1.15 billion, to be paid into a lead paint abatement fund to be used to remove lead paint from older housing. The judge ruled that the paint companies manufactured, marketed, and sold lead paint without disclosing the health risks to the consumers in spite of "actual and constructive knowledge that it was harmful".

The disposition of The People v. ConAgra Grocery Products Company et al. in the California 6th Appellate District Court on November 14, 2017, is that: ... the judgment is reversed, and the matter is remanded to the trial court with directions to (1) recalculate the amount of the abatement fund to limit it to the amount necessary to cover the cost of remediating pre-1951 homes, and (2) hold an evidentiary hearing regarding the appointment of a suitable receiver. The Plaintiff shall recover its costs on appeal. On February 14, 2018, the California Supreme Court denied the defendants' request for review, sending the case back to the trial court as ordered by the Appellate Court. NL Industries settled its part of the suit in May, 2018 with a payment of $60 million and a pledge to stop supporting the ConAgra and Sherwin-Williams backed ballot measure proposed for the November, 2018 ballot

National Lead and Dutch Boy Paints In 1907, National Lead entered the consumer market for titanium paints, creating a product line under the name "Dutch Boy". Dutch Boy paints competed with other brands that contained mineral products supplied by National Lead. The "Dutch Boy Painter", which was created by Lawrence Carmichael Earle, became National Lead's symbol for many years. NL Industries sold off the Dutch Boy brand in 1980 to Sherwin-Williams, two years after the CPSC's directive banning the manufacturing of lead housepaint went into effect.

CompX International

CompX International Inc. is one of the largest manufacturers of security products and recreational marine components in the world. Located in Dallas, Texas, CompX International Inc. is also a subsidiary of NL Industries, Inc. The business of the company is divided into three segments: Security Products, Furniture Components and Marine Components. Their products are designed to meet the high-end applications. CompX International Inc. offers its products through original equipment manufacturers and distributors.

History Based in Dallas, Texas, CompX was founded to open business on August 4, 1993. In March 1998, CompX International Inc. completed its initial public offering, making it a public company with stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol of CIX. In 1999, CompX International moved the corporate headquarters from Mauldin, South Carolina, to Houston. On Jan 11, 2000, CompX International Inc. acquired Chicago Lock Co. successfully for about $9.2 million in cash, which was borrowed under its existing credit facility. In May 2002, CompX International achieved an agreement to close its Dallas corporate office. In September 2004, NL Industries completed the acquisition of 68% of CompX International for $168.6 million. In December 2012, CompX International Inc. sold its Furniture Components operations to Knape & Vogt Manufacturing Company for approximately $59 million in cash.

Leadership The main officers of the company are listed as follows:

David Bowers - President, chief executive officer Jim Brown - Chief Financial Officer

References

External links Media related to NL Industries at Wikimedia Commons

Fundinguniverse.com: History of NL Industries, Inc. Compx.com: CompX International website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NL Industries

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NL Industries claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to NL Industries before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about NL Industries ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of NL Industries

In research: NL Industries appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses NL Industries in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: NL Industries is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1891 establishments in Pennsylvania, 1971 establishments in Texas, American companies established in 1891, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NL Industries outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study NL Industries in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NL Industries means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain NL Industries out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NL Industries in simple terms?

Why does NL Industries matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study NL Industries?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on NL Industries.