Dr. Isaak Shtikan has been involved in developing Thermal Diffusion Zinc (TDZ) solutions since the late 1970’s. In 1989 Dr. Shtikan immigrated to Israel and completed the development of Distek’s TDZ process in a technology incubator. In 1993 Distek Israel commercialized its newly developed and improved TDZ process and since then has set up more than 50 licensees around the world, incuding in Europe, The U.S.A, South Africa, Japan and Australia.
In 2006, Distek’s TDZ technology received the prestigious US EPA MVP2 AWARD (Most Valuable Pollution Prevention) - please see the document “approaching zero emissions” by the EPA in the “Downloads” section.
In 2006 the first U.S licensee, Agritek Industries, started operations.
Martin Straus has been involved in developing Zinc Plating and passivating processes for Straus Chemical Corp./Chem-Plate Industris since the 1980’s. With the advent of RoHS and REACH requirements of the late 1990’s, Straus has been a leader in developing these types of passivations/topcoats for the automotive industry.
The ArmorGalv technology relies on Straus developed passivates, that have proven to greatly imporove performance and are instrumental in elimintaing the “false rusting” phenomenon that had plagued Sherardizing and other TDZ processes since their inception in 1904, holding them back from being embraced and fully accepted by the modern US market.
Moshe Moked, PEng – Has been involved in developing and building “green” technologies for the steel industry, prticularly Hot Dip Galvanizing of steel wire, for decades.
In 2007 Isaak Shtikan, Martin Straus and Moshe Moked formed Distek N.A LLC to utilize their combined talents and technology to introduce the ArmorGalv® process that has since become the “Gold Standard” of Zinc TDZ in the US and elsewhere.
In 2009 ASTM issued a standard for Thermal Diffusion - A-1059/M