Thomas & Skinner, Inc. has played a pivotal role in magnetic material manufacturing. Key milestones and visionary leaders have led this company to be a world-class manufacturer of high-performance metals.

Thomas & Skinner was founded by John Esterline, an Electrical Engineering professor at Purdue University. Professor Esterline, inspired by the demonstration of commercially viable electricity he witnessed at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1895, recognized the need for permanent magnets to be used for residential and commercial power metering within the burgeoning electrical utility industry. Esterline understood that magnetic materials were crucial for converting electricity into practical uses, such as motion and signaling.