citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . march 2010 learn how and when to remove this template message armstrong world industries inc. type public traded as nyse awi industry construction materials founded lancaster pennsylvania united states headquarters lancaster pennsylvania united states key people matthew j. espe president and ceo products flooring ceilings revenue us 2.860 billion 2011 1 operating income us 239.2 million 2011 1 net income us 112.4 million 2011 1 total assets us 2.995 billion 2011 1 total equity us 1.130 billion 2011 1 number of employees 9 100 dec 2011 1 website armstrong.com armstrong world industries inc. is a pennsylvania corporation incorporated in 1891 . 2 it is an international designer and manufacturer of floors and ceilings . based in lancaster pennsylvania armstrong operates 32 plants in eight countries and has approximately 8 500 employees worldwide . 3 in 2011 armstrong s net sales were 2.86 billion with operating income of 239.2 million . 1 armstrong world industries inc. emerged from chapter 11 reorganization on october 2 2006 . 4 its stock began trading on the new york stock exchange october 18 2006 under the ticker symbol awi . the armstrong world industries inc. asbestos personal injury settlement trust holds approximately 66 % of awi s outstanding common shares . armstrong s fourth amended plan of reorganization as modified dated february 21 2006 and confirmed by u.s. district court judge eduardo robreno in august 2006 5 become effective oct. 2 2006 . 4 the plan includes a comprehensive settlement resolving awi s asbestos liability by establishing and funding a trust to compensate all current and future asbestos personal injury claimants . the company had filed for reorganization december 6 2000 6 with the federal bankruptcy court in delaware for reorganization under chapter 11 because pending asbestos injury claims appeared to exceed the value of the company and were growing . in addition to resolving awi s asbestos liability we used the time in chapter 11 to restructure our flooring business to make it more competitive mr. lockhart said . we made substantial improvements in our cost structure by closing several plants and streamlining our workforce in the u.s. we have also expanded capacity to manufacture wood flooring broadened our product lines and improved product quality and customer service . on march 27 2007 armstrong world industries inc. and npm capital n.v. entered into an agreement to sell tapijtfabriek h. desseaux n.v. and its subsidiaries the principal operating companies in armstrong s european textile and sports flooring business segment to npm capital n.v. 7 the sale was finalized in april 2007 . 8 on february 15 2007 armstrong world industries inc. announced that it was initiating a review of its strategic alternatives . 9 contents 1 history 1.1 armstrong manor 2 divisions 3 environmental record 4 manufacturing locations 5 references 6 external links history edit former armstrong cork company building in pittsburgh pennsylvania built circa 1901 in 1860 thomas m. armstrong the son of scottish irish immigrants from derry joined with john d. glass to open a one room shop in pittsburgh pennsylvania carving bottle stoppers from cork by hand . their first deliveries were made in a wheelbarrow . armstrong was a business pioneer in some respects he branded each cork he shipped as early as 1864 and soon was putting a written guarantee in each burlap bag of corks he shipped from his big new factory . the company grew to be the largest cork supplier in the world by the 1890s . the company incorporated in 1891 . cork began being displaced by other closures but the company introduced insulating corkboard and brick . in 1906 two years before he died thomas armstrong concluded that the solid foundation of the future was covered with linoleum and construction began on a new factory in a cornfield at the edge of lancaster pennsylvania . in 1909 armstrong linoleum was first offered to the trade . after corkboard the logical move was to fiberboard and then to ceiling board . cork tile and linoleum led to vinyl flooring then ceramic tile laminate flooring and carpeting . in 1917 armstrong cork signed with the batton company advertising agency a relationship that continues to this day through their corporate descendants . 10 in 1998 armstrong acquired triangle pacific corp. a leading manufacturer of hardwood flooring and kitchen bathroom cabinets . 11 in 2009 armstrong s annual net sales total us 2.8 billion . 12 armstrong cabinets is no longer owned by armstrong world industries . the business was sold to american industrial partners on october 31 2012 . armstrong manor edit formerly known as armstrong manor the property is currently owned by rodgers & associates of lancaster pennsylvania and is now called the manor . the armstrong manor was originally purchased by armstrong world industries for use as a central location to house the company s young sales trainees . 13 14 15 16 the home was later used in other capacities such as meeting space and temporary housing for visiting employees . armstrong owned the property from may 1920 to december 2011 . the property is located in lancaster pennsylvania . the oldest part of armstrong manor originally known as bloomington farm was built in 1866 by david p. locher a prosperous local tanner banker and farmer . 14 15 17 the 4 acre property remained a part of locher s estate until april 9 1906 when grove locher purchased the property for 21 000 . 15 on may 29 1920 the then pittsburgh pennsylvania based armstrong cork company purchased the mansion from grove locher and his wife for 26 930 . 15 the company s second president charles d. armstrong was disturbed by the conditions in which his son dwight and other new sales employees were living within various rented housing across lancaster . c.d. armstrong and his wife gertrude virginia ludden armstrong were also aware of the difficulties with the transition from campus life to industrial living and desired a more comfortable living space for their sales trainees . 13 16 18 mr. and mrs. armstrong also wanted to have a suitable location for business meetings with visiting employees from other areas . 15 the house was used as a living space for the sales trainees all single men during their 6 month training program at the lancaster pa flooring plant . 14 the company spent an additional 27 742.87 on renovations and renamed the property armstrong manor . 15 more recently the manor provided housing for visiting armstrong employees and customers and continued to fulfill its role as a meeting space . the property also had a facilities maintenance department plumbers electricians and a mailroom to support the property . 19 in november 2010 armstrong world industries announced its plan to close armstrong manor by the end of the year citing that the manor and the facilities department were no longer part of the core to being a building products manufacturer . 19 armstrong manor was sold to rodgers & associates a wealth management firm based in lancaster pennsylvania on december 15 2011 . 19 20 divisions edit in the 1920s the armstrong cork products company and sherwin williams company were the largest industrial customers for hemp fiber . in 1938 armstrong bought whitall tatum a leading manufacturer of glass stand off insulators for utility poles since 1922 . the existing molds were eventually replaced with molds bearing the armstrong name . in april 1969 the business was sold to kerr glass manufacturing corporation . demand was rapidly dropping as utilities were converting to ceramics or going underground and kerr moved production to their dunkirk indiana factory in the mid 1970s and ceasing production several years after that . during world war ii armstrong made 50 caliber round ammunition wing tips for airplanes cork sound insulation for submarines and camouflage . in 1952 a group of leading industrialists that included alfred p. sloan of general motors frank w. abrams of standard oil company of new jersey henry ford ii of ford motor company john l. mccaffrey of international harvester irving s. olds of united states steel corporation henning w. prentis of armstrong cork company and laird bell of weyerhauser timber formed the council for financial aid to education which increased corporate gifts to colleges from 24 million annually to 136 million annually over ten years . in 1958 armstrong cork company created armstrong contracting and supply corporation . armstrong cork had done insulation contracting since the early 20th century originally focusing on cork products . gradually there was greater emphasis on high temperature insulation . in 1969 this business was sold in a leveraged buyout to 31 existing and retired employees of the contracting company which became irex corporation . c.u.e. inc. started as the polyurethane division of armstrong cork in the 1960s . cue comes from custom urethane elastomers the fluorocarbon company of anaheim california bought the division in 1972 . on april 7 1986 a group of seven employees acquired the division in a leveraged buyout . in 1964 armstrong bought phoenix chair company following up with founders furniture company in 1965 western carolina furniture company in 1966 and both thomasville furniture and caldwell furniture in 1968 . in the 1970s they expanded with a low end bedroom furniture line . they bought gilliam furniture in 1986 bought and repurposed the former stehle polyester factory in carysbrook virginia later that year bought westchester group in 1987 and gordon s in 1988 ; as well as making a major expansion to thomasville that year . citation needed in 1995 thomasville furniture was sold to interco which became furniture brands international a leading furniture manufacturer with such brands as broyhill and lane . 21 environmental record edit armstrong holdings inc. used to produce asbestos either of two incombustible chemical resistant fibrous mineral forms of impure magnesium silicate used for fireproofing electrical insulation building materials brake linings and chemical filters which was required by law 22 before they started to manufacture interior furnishings . on november 16 2000 it was reported that armstrong holdings inc. was facing about 173 000 asbestos personal injury claims that would cost between 758.8 million and 1.36 billion through 2006 . they filed bankruptcy because of all their asbestos liabilities . 23 armstrong no longer produces asbestos and now makes vinyl and wood flooring and other interior furnishings . 24 armstrong now claims we offer you a proud heritage of innovation commitment to environmental sustainability and operations based on integrity respect diversity continuous improvement and a passion for safety . 25 manufacturing locations edit acproducts inc. is the seventh largest manufacturer and distributor of cabinets in the united states . the company offers six wood species for its stock and semi custom cabinets including cherry maple oak birch plantation hardwood and laminate thermofoil and serves over 3 000 customers through a network of 26 facilities consisting of acp branded showroom selection centers regional distribution centers and warehouses all in the united states . acp is headquartered in the colony tx with manufacturing operations in thompsontown pa . 26 cabinet production facilities were owned by armstrong world industries but are now under american industrial partners with products being sold under the acpi branding . 27 the company manufactures flooring products in the us in beech creek pennsylvania ; beverly west virginia ; center texas ; jackson mississippi ; jackson tennessee ; kankakee illinois ; lancaster pennsylvania ; oneida tennessee ; somerset kentucky ; south gate california ; statesville north carolina ; stillwater oklahoma ; warren arkansas ; west plains missouri ; titusville pennsylvania and internationally in shanghai china ; braeside victoria ; thomastown victoria ; teesside england and holmsund sweden . they produce ceiling products in the us in beaver falls pennsylvania ; hilliard ohio ; macon georgia ; marietta pennsylvania ; mobile alabama ; pensacola