![]() He stayed on as a director, serving in this capacity until his death in 1993 at the age of 76. Lierly headed Universal for 23 years, finally retiring in 1986. A year after Lierly took charge, Universal was taken public. Thorndike, a dealership owned by James Vern Thorndike, who had been a Ford dealer since starting out in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1916 before branching out to Omaha later. He was an old hand with the Ford organization, having spent the previous 20 years working in Omaha at J.V. In 1963 a 46-year-old native of Omaha, Earl Lierly, took over as Universal ’s president and chairman of the board. In 1954 Universal acquired Kent-Wheeler and transferred all of its manufacturing to Algona, where the combined operation thrived. Wheeler, won the Iowa franchise, and began turning out remanufactured engines at the plant constructed by Kent-Wheeler Mfg. In the neighboring state of Iowa, an Algona, Iowa, car dealer named Fred Kent, Sr., and his partner, a Mr. With the war at an end, Ford reduced the number of authorized remanufacturers, awarding statewide franchises. Universal was incorporated in Nebraska in December 1945, several months after the war came to a close, and in 1946 began remanufacturing engines as a Ford Authorized Remanufacturer (FAR). ![]() ![]() For the dealers, on the other hand, remanufacturing offered a welcome source of income at a time when they had no new cars to sell and procuring used cars was difficult. To solve both of these problems, Ford developed a program to allow certain of its dealerships to act as authorized engine remanufacturers who distributed their products in their own markets, thereby easing transportation concerns. To keep the aging cars on America ’s roads running, engines and other parts had to be remanufactured, but getting them to customers posed another problem because the railroads, the primary means of shipping, were mostly devoted to moving troops and military materials. As a result, Americans had to rely on used vehicles until well after the war when Detroit was finally able to retool and once again ramp up production. Automakers such as Ford ceased production of new cars and trucks to concentrate on the manufacture of tanks, airplanes, and other military vehicles and equipment. Universal Manufacturing grew out of the measures taken by American industry to support the military after the United States entered World War II in late 1941. Universal is a public company, its shares traded over the counter. In 2007 Universal agreed to sell its distribution unit. In addition, Universal leases warehouses in Peoria, Illinois Des Moines, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska. The company operates a 77,000-square-foot factory in Algona along with a 10,000-square-foot warehouse capable of being converted into extra manufacturing space. To a lesser extent Universal serves aircraft, agricultural, marine, and recreational vehicle markets. Through subsidiary Universal Distribution LLC, the company also distributes Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, Mopar, and Motorcraft transmission and engines, as well as HESCO domestic and import engines.Ĭustomers are primarily automotive dealers, warehouse distributors, parts supply stores, specialty trucks parts suppliers, four-wheel drive specialty suppliers, and other remanufacturers in Iowa, Nebraska, and central and northwest Illinois. NAIC: 441310 Automotive Parts and Accessories StoresĪ longtime authorized engine remanufacturer for Ford Motor Co., Universal Manufacturing Company, based in Algona, Iowa, is an independent remanufacturer and distributor of automotive parts, including electric fuel pumps, transfer cases, disc brake calipers, master cylinders, and steering products sold under the ReTech name or other private labels.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |