Founded in 1911, the Porcelain Enamel Manufacturing Company (PEMCO) was located in Baltimore, MD. Over the years, PEMCO grew geographically and expanded its product portfolio. In the 1940s innovations included the development of matte white and titanium-based frits. PEMCO was acquired by Prince International Corporation in 2013. The company continues to make specialty frit-based products that meet the needs of the consumer: white goods, hot water tanks, sanitary ware, cookware, and other industrial industries.

This Pemco film “Everything Under Control,” was made in 1955 to showcase the company’s porcelain enamel finishes. An introductory scroll at mark 00:20 explains: “A vital function of our national industry is the maintenance of quality controls over all steps in manufacture. A continuous sampling, testing, and checking of products must be done to insure the uniformity that has made American products in demand the world over.” With that introduction the picture quickly cuts to the neon lights of Times Square (mark 00:40) — images that mean “America!” But the true picture of America is incomplete without small towns (mark 01:04) and we see scenes from quiet burgs with high standards of living — standards that demand high-quality products such as televisions, radios, and refrigerators. Young couples in the film are living in the “Age of Accumulation” (mark 01:35), a period in which “they are busy getting the many things a home needs.” The picture touts the greatness of porcelain enamel as a salesman is shown setting a book of matches on fire and cutting an onion atop a porcelain sample without damaging the finish. The finish was created by PEMCO, a Baltimore manufacturer, and we visit the company’s headquarters starting at mark 03:50. Raw materials arrive by railcar (mark 04:39) and kept in storage bins until needed. Inside the operation we watch the materials work their way through various machinery and onto a conveyor belt toward its journey toward becoming porcelain enamel. Each stage of the operation is explained in detail and are accompanied by related scenes. Quality control samples are shown being taken by a PEMCO employee at mark 14:27 as the product is removed from a smelter near the end of the process, and an employee keeps detailed records on each batch (mark 16:07). After seeing some of the enamels used on dinnerware, the film explains how enamel is used on household appliances such as refrigerators or bathroom fixtures. The process can just as easily be used to color bottles (mark 18:50) or on porcelain enamel signed (mark 19:49). Toward the end of the film, the narrator explains how researchers continue to work on new uses for porcelain enamel (mark 24:22) and enameled aluminum.

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