Long term ownership and stability
Protan was founded in 1939 and is a Norwegian, family-owned company with long traditions. The next generation in the family is involved in the company’s Board of Directors, and the family has a long term perspective of their ownership of Protan AS.
Protan is founded on solid management traditions, whilst the company history is characterised by innovation and development to keep pace with market needs. This wide experience and competence enable the company to face new challenges. Protan’s products are accredited and tested by most building technology institutes in Europe.
The life-vest were the Protan`s first product.
The products were divided into two areas
A glimpse at our product history
Harvesting seaweed to extract ALGINATE started in a small scale but grew into a major activity with scores of processing factory plants along the Norwegian West coast. Protan was one the largest producers of Alginate
in the world, our Company name derives from;
PROdukter av TANg
(Products made from seaweed ).
Protan`s innovative spirit and putting ALGINATE to use, resulted in products to the Fast Moving Consumer Market in the 1940-50`s. The Protan Tooth paste was known for its ease in filling the tube and the manhandling required to force it out and onto the tooth brush!
Protan`s production was at this time split into two very different processes addressing two very different market needs;
Alginate
Sodium alginate and polypropilene glycol alginate are commonly used as thickeners in foods such as ice cream and cheese spread. It is also used for dental and medical needs like drug encapsulation and wound dressings.
Coated Textile
Coated textiles with different materials used as industrial membranes or enhancing the estetics of a home and the office.
Protan no longer a manufacturer of Alginat.
In 1991 Protan sold the ALGINAT part of the company to Hydro. Today Protan does not have any ALGINAT production.
Ventiflex
Since 1948 the company had worked with a product that was ment for a completely different market than the consumer products, the name was Ventiflex. In 1953 the product portfolio of Protan was tarpaulin, flooring-
and vwallpaper designed for industry, business offices and housing.
Ventiflex has been here for 60 years.
Roofing membrane made of PVC
Protan started in the 1970`s to look for possibilities to manufacture roofing membrane made of plastic.Sarnafil, a Swiss company, already produced this and after a while Protan got a licence from Sarnafil to start production in Norway. In the 1980`s roofing PVC membranes more and more regarded. After 23 years it was time to change and the cooperation with Sarnafil was history.
In 1994 the cooperation with Sarnafil ended. Protan had to change the signs and logo`s..