Vortex has only been around since 1997. However, the parent company, Kott Koatings, Inc. has been in the coatings industry since the early 50's! Coatings have been their livelihood for over 5 decades. The Vortex material was actually originally designed for a flooring application that Kott Koatings was doing in Spain in 1991-92. The original glazes that were developed to coat the wall tiles were not durable enough for the floors in the milk factory that was being brought up to code. They needed a coating that was seamless, extremely durable, could be applied around their pipes and tanks, could be completed in a weekend and they could drive a forklift on it on Monday. It took about a year to develop the Vortex material for this project and it was eventually spun off on its own and into the truck market.