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Our Story
Year |
Akron Brass Historical Information |
| 1918 | Production began in a leased portion of an American cereal company building in Akron, Ohio B.F. Goodrich Rubber company employees in 1918 formed the Akron Brass Manufacturing company with the intent of producing couplings for the rapidly growing rubber lined fire hose market. |
| 1921 | The company outgrew the leased quarters in Akron, Ohio and relocated to Wooster, Ohio. |
| 1935 | The company continued to grow and prosper and high demands for additional expansion capital forced the management to incorporate on July 6, 1935. |
| 1935-1958 | Constant improvement in the products and plant methods resulted in rapid growth in sales and profits throughout the years. |
| 1959 | Sales exceeded all previous records for sales and profits, leading to the establishment of two new divisions. Akron Manufacturing (Canada) Ltd. in Aylmer West, Ontario, began the manufacture of the standard line of fire equipment, and Akron couplings, Riceland, Ohio, began to produce fittings for the petroleum and aircraft industry. |
| 1962 | On May 21, 1962, Akron Brass merged into the Premier Industrial Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio. |
| 1964 | Under Premier, continued growth of sales and profits resulted in the increased need for manufacturing capacity and the facilities were expanded by the addition of 24,000 square feet on Spruce Street and 42,000 square feet on Old Mansfield Road in Wooster, Ohio which included a new $100,000 technology center. |
| 1965 | Akron Brass introduced the first electronically controlled aerial ladder fire fighting monitor the style 666 ladder pipe. |
| 1967 | Akron Brass changed firefighting history with the introduction of the Turbojet Nozzle. This combination fog nozzle provided the firefighter with the ability to directly control the water flow from the nozzle. |
| 1971 | Akron Brass' patent for the Self Locking Valve is published. |
| 1972 | The patented Swing-Out Valve revolutionizes the Fire Apparatus Valve market becoming an industry standard and icon for North America Fire Service. |
| 1994 | Akron Brass introduced the Assault Nozzle, one of the industry’s first fully computer designed nozzle. |
| 1996 | Premier Industrial merged with Farnell plc of the United Kingdom to become Premier Farnell plc. |
| 1997 | Akron Brass is accredited as an ISO 9001 Registered Company. |
| 2001 | The revolutionary Patented SaberJet Nozzle was introduced. This nozzle eliminates the debate as to what is the best nozzle design a Smooth Bore or a Combination Nozzle. |
| 2001 | On September 10, 2001 Akron Brass held a special ribbon-cutting ceremony for its 62,000 square foot building expansion project off Old Mansfield Road. This recent addition provides 42,000 square foot of new manufacturing facility, 20,000 square foot of office space, and a world class indoor/outdoor testing facility. |
| 2001 | On September 11, 2001, a tragic day in our nation’s history were terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Flight 93 claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 victims including the 343 firefighters from FDNY. In the days following September 11th, Akron demonstrated teamwork by fulfilling an emergency equipment request by FDNY. At 2 pm on September 13th, Akron received the request of 200 nozzles, monitors and other firefighting equipment. By 5:30 the same day, the product boarded a plane en route to NYC. These nozzles were used to battle ongoing fires as well as knock down, the horrible dust and particles in the days to follow the attacks. |
| 2002 | Akron Brass pays tribute to those firefighters who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks and changed their physical address on Venture Blvd. to the number 343, to signify the 343 fallen firefighters that day. |
| 2004 | Akron Brass expanded its product range to include scene lighting, junction boxes, reels, and hand tools when it acquired GFE Manufacturing and its 22,400 sq. ft. facility located in Washington, IL. |
| 2005 | Product ranges expanded to include vehicular lighting, warning lights, electrical controls and vehicle multiplexing as Akron Brass acquired Weldon Technologies, Inc. and its 57,000 sq. ft. facility located in Columbus, Ohio. |
| 2010 | Akron Brass expands it sales operations by opening offices in Beijing China and Dubai UAE. |
| 2011 | Akron Brass is accredited as an OHSAS 18001:2007 Company. This distinguished certification verifies the Occupational Health and Safety Management System of Akron Brass. |
| 2016 | Akron Brass joins the Fire Suppression Group at IDEX Corporation. IDEX Corp., Akron’s parent company, is a global fluidics leader serving high growth specialized markets. |
| Today | Today, Akron Brass is considered the world's largest and finest producer of firefighting equipment. Now in more than 75 countries around the globe, Akron Brass has the management and research capability to maintain its position of leadership in its industry. |
