Superior Industries

Superior Industries, Inc.

Type	Private
Industry	Manufacturing
Founded	1972
Founder	Neil Schmidgall
Headquarters	Morris, Minnesota, USA
Key people	Micah Zeltwanger, CEO Jarrod Felton, VP Paul Schmidgall, VP Tom Zosel, CFO
Products	Bulk handling conveyors and components, ship loaders, fuel tanks, fuel trucks, fuel trailers, petroleum equipment, precast concrete
Number of employees	1,200
Slogan	Build Innovation. Create Opportunity.
Website	Superior-Ind.com

Superior Industries, Inc. is an American manufacturing company headquartered in Morris, Minnesota. The company's multiple divisions engineer, manufacture, service and sell dry bulk handling equipment, fuel delivery and storage equipment and precast concrete products.

Superior traces its roots back to 1917 when Henry Schmidgall began manufacturing concrete products in Hancock, Minnesota.

Today, Superior Industries is the largest employer in Stevens County, Minnesota, and one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States.^[1] While 80% of its 1,300 person workforce is employed at one of four divisions in Stevens County, Minnesota, the other 300 employees are scattered throughout more than 25 other states in the U.S.

History

1917: Henry Schmidgall moves to Hancock, Minnesota to purchase small concrete drain tile manufacturer.
1940: Henry's son forms Schmidgall Sand and Gravel from aggregate division of Hancock Concrete.
1942: Hancock temporarily moves production machinery to Lincoln, Kansas during construction of Smoky Hill Air Force Base in Salina.
1972: Henry's grandson, Neil Schmidgall, founds Superior Machinery Company after building conveyors and plants for Schmidgall Sand and Gravel.
1972: Bob Kleespie establishes Kleespie Tank and Petroleum Equipment (renamed Westmor Industries in 2001).
1974: Hancock manufactures state of Minnesota's first ever precast box culvert.
1974: Superior begins manufacturing conveyor idlers after acquiring presses and tooling from Ersham Manufacturing of Enterprise, Kansas.
1997: Superior applies for and is granted first ever technology patent.
1999: Astec Industries, a publically traded company from Chattanooga, Tennessee, acquires Superior. Company headquarters remain in Morris.
2001: Superior begins manufacturing conveyor pulleys.
2004: Local investors from Morris, Minnesota, reacquire Superior from Astec Industries.
2006: Southwest satellite manufacturing facility opens in Prescott Valley, Arizona.
2008: Superior acquires second largest company in Morris, fueling equipment manufacturer Westmor Industries.
2008: Superior acquires conveyor manufacturer, Fesco Systems of Norcross, Georgia.
2011: Superior acquires precast concrete builder, Hancock Concrete. Hancock was established by grandfather of Superior founder.
2011: Superior acquires petroleum truck tank builder, Trans-Tech Industries of Brewer, Maine.
2012: Superior acquires Determan Brownie, Inc of Fridley, Minnesota. The business name is changed to Westmor Fluid Solutions.
2014: Superior acquired GreyStone, Inc. of Columbus, Nebraska. The business name is changed to Superior Industries.

Equipment Division

Superior manufactures portable and stationary conveying equipment used in construction aggregates, mining, concrete, asphalt and recycle industries. The company markets its equipment globally, but in North America products are sold through a network of dealers.^[2] Products include telescopic conveyors, radial stacking conveyors, portable truck dumps, overland conveyors and stationary systems.^[3] Equipment is manufactured in Morris and Prescott Valley.

Components Division

Like its equipment, Superior's conveying components serve a variety of industries like construction aggregates and mining. Components are sold through a large distribution channel from Canada to the U.S., through Mexico and into Central America and South America.^[2] Outside of those territories, the company sells its product direct to customers. Products include idlers, pulleys, belt cleaners, impact beds and sensors. Conveyor components are manufactured in Morris and Prescott Valley.

Fesco Division

In late 2008, Superior announced it acquired Fesco Systems of Norcross, Georgia. The company is known throughout the southeastern United States for its work engineering and constructing conveyor systems for bulk material handling and processing industries.

Westmor Division

On May 1, 2008, Superior announced its acquisition of Westmor Industries, a manufacturer of petroleum and liquid-handling equipment.^[4] Westmor's corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located in Morris, Minnesota, the same Minnesota community as Superior's corporate offices. The company was founded in 1972 and manufactures cargo tanks, bulk tanks and other equipment for America's propane, CO2 and biofeuls industries.

Trans-Tech Division

The acquisition of Brewer, Maine-based Trans-Tech Industries was announced on September 30, 2011. Like Westmor, Trans-Tech manufactures cargo storage tanks, but this division focuses on the petroleum and wood pellet delivery industries. The aluminum tank builder was founded in 1984.

Hancock Division

On December 10, 2010, Superior announced it acquired Hancock, Minnesota based Hancock Concrete Products. Founded in 1917, the company manufactures pre-cast concrete pipe, culverts, boxes, manholes and arches.^[5]

Superior's past is closely connected to Hancock Concrete. Before establishing itself in 1972, Superior’s founder and the grandson of Hancock's founder, Neil Schmidgall, began manufacturing custom built conveyors, gravel washing plants, crushing plants for Schmidgall Sand and Gravel, which supplied aggregates for Hancock.

Growth

In 2007 and again in 2008, Superior was named to Inc. magazine's first ever list of 5000 fastest growing private companies in the United States.^[6] In the spring of 2008, The Private Company Index listed Superior one of ten "Top Growth Companies" in the U.S.^[7]

The company reports an annual growth rate of more than 15% and currently employs more than 1,000 people.