1924: The Beginning of Our Journey

In 1924, the United States witnessed many significant events.

Our national athletes competed in their first winter Olympics held in Chamonix France. J. Edgar Hoover was appointed head of the Bureau of Investigation, that would later become the FBI. The first Macy’s parade followed a 6 mile route from Harlem to Herald Square in New York City and the renowned Wrigley Building in Chicago was finally complete.

While all of this was happening, two visionaries Will Swift, a local inventor, and Carl Smith, a local businessman, joined forces to create the Sight Feed Generator Company in West Alexandria, Ohio.

The Sight Feed Generator Company was the first company to introduce a portable carbide-water acetylene generator which featured a glass hopper to monitor carbide usage. This enabled operators to decide whether they had enough fuel before starting a job, enabling greater planning and productivity.

Their venture was born in a garage and fueled by the desire to shape a bright future. By the late 1920’s, the success of the business pushed a move into two old tobacco barns which provided much needed manufacturing and assembly space. This new location also offered a strategic shipping location with the barns being located along a regularly used railway.

Through the decades, Rexarc’s legacy continues

A company with a rich history in acetylene technology has become a global leader in acetylene plant manufacturing and has designed, produced and delivered to over 80 countries worldwide. These plants played and continue to play a crucial role in producing acetylene gas for various industrial applications.

Rexarc Today

Rexarc has continued their investment into their people, business and equipment technology also specializing in custom ASME pressure vessel production, fabricating both ASME-coded and non-coded pressure vessels. These vessels have been used in a variety of applications and industry from aerospace to wastewater management.

From those original tobacco barns, Rexarc remains committed to applying their 100 years of experience to remain innovative and offer excellence in the world of acetylene technology and custom vessel design and production.

Learn more

Rexarc is an expert manufacturer and designer of acetylene plants and equipment and custom pressure vessels in carbon and stainless steel. If you have questions about pressure vessels, would be interested in a custom vessel quote or to learn more and how they can be used in water treatment, we’d be happy to chat with you!