But the business - and its owners - have left petroleum behind and gone profoundly international. Houghton now employs 2,000 at plants in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including 140 at its headquarters and R&D labs outside Norristown. It makes and recycles speciality machine lubes for Alcoa, ArcelorMittal, Boeing, Daimler, Ford, Toyota, and U.S. Steel, among other blue-chip giants.