The year was 1974. North America was in the grip of economic recession, disco was in full swing, the first personal computers were being introduced, and a little known cleaning and janitorial supply company was in the midst of relocating its headquarters to the mountains of Alleghany County, North Carolina. Seemingly insignificant in contrast to other news of the day, the relocation of this small “backwoods” company would go on to revolutionize the floorcare industry in the modern world.

The revolution began when William H. Wilson, the founder of Pioneer Eclipse Corporation, began to develop a propane-powered floor buffer. Wilson recognized the universal need to reduce the labor cost and time generally associated with the old-fashioned spray buffing method of floorcare. Propane power afforded the opportunity to burnish much larger areas of floor space in a fraction of the time required using conventional electric buffers.

With the successful development of the Pioneer Eclipse propane burnisher line, it became apparent that there was a significant need for the development of a line of floorcare chemical products that could withstand the increased rpm of the new burnishers. Pioneer Eclipse was the logical choice to develop these sorely needed products. From 1975 to 1978, the company developed its own polymer-based floor finishes that not only withstood the high rpm of propane burnishers, but actually revolutionized the floorcare industry with incredible wet-look shine and slip-resistant properties.

It turned out, however, that the revolution had only just begun. Founded upon the philosophy of continuous innovation, Pioneer Eclipse began to develop integrated “Floorcare Systems”. Each floorcare system was a complete line of chemical products formulated to work in conjunction with a specific floor surface material and burnishing method to produce an optimum appearance while reducing time, labor and product usage. Gone were the problems of “mix and match” chemicals, cloudy finishes, tedious stripping sessions and other damaging chemical warfare that sometimes passed for floorcare.

At the same time, it was these revolutionary product and system developments that propelled the company to the forefront of the floorcare and maintenance supply industry and resulted in repeated listings in Inc. Magazine’s list of the 500 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies in the United States. This national prominence brought Pioneer Eclipse to the attention of AMANO Corporation, a multi-national company specializing in the design and production of Time, Cost Management, Parking, and Environmental Systems. Inevitably, these companies joined, shared and exchanged technologies, and formed a partnership that has taken this small “backwoods” cleaning company and transformed it into THE international innovator in the floorcare marketplace.

And yes, the revolution continues today. Amano Pioneer Eclipse maintains its standard of developing quality products that redefine, improve and enhance the cleaning and maintenance industry. Our new maxim, "Floorcare for the New Millennium" reaffirms our commitment to be the "World Leaders in Floorcare Systems" today...tomorrow...and beyond.