SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - BASF Automotive Refinish is celebrating the 90th anniversary of one of its automotive refinish paint brands, R-M, founded in the summer of 1919. Today, the R-M product line contains names like DIAMONT, ONYX HD and CARIZZMA and is used throughout the world by collision repair shops and customizers alike.
By 1919, the founder of the Mason Decoy Factory in Detroit, Herbert Mason, had developed another use for his paints and joined forces with friend, Fred Rinshed, to form the Rinshed-Mason (R-M) Company, which soon became the largest paint supplier to the growing automotive industry.
R-M was the first paint company to supply high performance lacquers to Cadillac. R-M also pioneered Florida testing to assess the weathering abilities of paints. R-M launched the first tinting base system in 1948. This major advancement signaled the birth of the mixing machine, which continues today to be the industry standard.Today, R-M is a division of BASF Coatings, part of BASF. BASF says it continues to drive the R-M philosophy by working closely with the world's leading vehicle manufacturers to develop innovative solutions in OEM finishes, as well as automotive refinish, through the development of efficient, state-of-the-art and environmentally friendly coatings technology.
The R-M philosophy is based on a global offer that is geared toward the long-term profitability of its bodyshop customers, by developing innovative, user-friendly paint systems that provide the flexibility bodyshops need to increase throughput and profitability by reducing material consumption and process times, while at the same time, respecting the environment. Learn more about BASF and the R-M line of automotive refinish paints at www.basfrefinish.com.
