Grote Industries: A Century Of Leadership and Innovation


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A Century Of Leadership and Innovation

The average person has probably never heard the name Grote. It's not a common household name like Levis or Coke or Xerox. But the fact is, millions of people throughout North America and the world benefit from the innovation and design excellence of Grote products.

Today the road is filled with cars and trucks using Grote lighting components. The nation's highways are safer thanks to Grote safety systems. In fact, Grote pioneered many of the manufacturing processes that we take for granted today in America.

William Grote started our company at the turn of the 20th century. Our legacy of original thinking and visionary leadership was established by our founder. Early in the life of the growing young company, William Grote demonstrated his capacity for innovation. While exploring Europe for new technologies, Grote brought the first plastic injection molding machines to the USA. Shortly thereafter, Grote became the first producer of plastic products in the United States.

During the 1920's, our company shifted its focus to making products for the automotive market. At that point, Grote embarked on a program of research and development that has led the industry in vehicle safety equipment. Not content to simply follow the trends, Grote helped define the direction of automotive lighting and design, setting the pace for better methods and higher standards of safety through a continued commitment to innovation. William Grote's prophetic view of the future still guides and influences our company today.

A Century of Innovation

The Torch Is Passed To A New Generation

William's son, Walter F. Grote, Sr. carried on the innovative spirit with a number of breakthrough designs and processes. Perhaps the best measure of his groundbreaking philosophy is the number of "firsts" that can be attributed to the Grote company.

The nation's first injection molded plastic products (1922)

First fully automatic plastic injection molding machine (1929)

World's first retro-reflective reflector, the universal basis for today's reflectors (1929)

First commercially available injection molding material (1936)

Invention of the Turtle-Back Marker Lamp, the Industry's first all non-metallic lamp (1965)

Industry's first no-splice wiring system (1965)

Industry's first repairable, long-life lamp (1977)

World's first modular trailer wiring system, UBS (1983)

First LED marker light (1989)

With a track record like this, it's easy to see why Grote has earned a reputation as "the first name in vehicle safety systems."

Poised For The Next 100 Years Of Growth

The vehicle safety market has undergone tremendous change in the last quarter century, and Grote Industries is positioned to continue
our leadership role. With the increasing globalization of car and truck production, Grote expanded into Canada in 1976 and Mexico in 1993.

With today's heightened emphasis on high technology, long service life and increased efficiency, the company founded Grote Electronics in Waterloo Ontario, 1992. With these expanded capabilities, Grote is once again out in front. Grote's LED products and sophisticated tractor-to-trailer communications systems are meeting the needs of the dynamic heavy truck industry.

Still Family-Owned, Still Customer-Focused

In this day of mega-mergers and absentee ownership, Grote customers can still call the main office and talk to Mr. Grote. In fact, there are quite a few Grote's working in all aspects of the business. The tradition of strong customer service has been passed on directly from one generation to the next -- and to all Grote employees -- helping to deliver complete customer satisfaction. In a very real sense, the history of Grote Industries is still being written every day.

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