Company History

From Humble Beginnings

Robbins & Myers, Inc. began in 1878 as a gray iron foundry in Springfield, Ohio. Its primary business involved supplying high-quality castings for agricultural machinery and bicycles.

From the late 1800s to the early 1900s the Company's product line expanded to include castings for the motor powered fan. The growing use of electricity prompted Robbins & Myers to develop and manufacture its own line of motor powered fans, that eventually included ceiling, desk, oscillating and ventilating fans. These products proved to be so popular that they quickly became the central part of Robbins & Myers' business and gained a reputation for setting the "standards of the industry." This early reputation continues to be reinforced by the products manufactured today.

Along with quality, Robbins & Myers became known for its innovation. Among those who came to the Company for design and manufacturing assistance were Charles Kettering, inventor of the automobile starter; The John Heinze Company, manufacturer of automobile starters for the Ford Motor Company; and Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of the wireless telegraph. Other earlier customers included such well-known names as Singer, Hoover and Addressograph-Multigraph.

Responding to the demands of manufacturers for tools that would help them increase production, Robbins & Myers applied its innovation and experience to the development of high-efficiency materials handling products. In 1929, the Company began manufacturing its own line of hoists, cranes and winches for use in assembly line operations.

The Company entered the industrial pump market in 1936 when it was seeking new growth opportunities for its electric motors. Robbins & Myers became the first North American licensee of the progressing cavity pump design invented by French scientist, Dr. Rene Moineau. The new pump was capable of handling viscous, abrasive, solids-laden materials and needed an electric drive motor as a power supply. Early Robbins & Myers progressing cavity pumps served general industrial markets, where they rapidly became known for their ability to handle the most difficult pumping applications. Development and expansion of the progressing cavity pump line continued to be one of the primary focuses of Robbins & Myers until the early 1940's.

Journey of Prosperity

During WWII, Robbins & Myers was approached by Carl Norden, the inventor of the famed Norden bombsight. He needed a manufacturer capable of producing motors that could meet the high performance demands of the delicate aircraft navigation systems of Allied bomber aircraft. Soon, Robbins & Myers was manufacturing all precision parts of the servomotor for the Norden bombsight and for aircraft stabilizers.

After WWII, Robbins & Myers continued to focus its attention on the design and manufacture of progressing cavity pumps, hoists and cranes, fans, motors and generators. Throughout the decades that followed, the Company advanced the technology and refined the product offering considerably for each of these lines. Industrial and consumer demand for Robbins & Myers' products grew and it established leadership positions within each served market.

In 1955, Robbins & Myers was the first to introduce progressing cavity power sections for use in horizontal and directional oil drilling.

In the 1970's, consumers rediscovered the benefits of ceiling fans. Consequently, Robbins & Myers' Hunter ceiling fan division experienced explosive sales growth. However, this surge was soon met by a tremendous influx of low-cost products from offshore manufacturers. The result was a significant increase in competition and a saturated marketplace.

Times of Transition

In 1980, Robbins & Myers acquired Electro-Craft Corporation, a manufacturer of DC motors, servosystems, and optical encoders, and RKL Controls, a manufacturer of manual and automated pinch valves.

In 1981, Robbins & Myers targeted the untapped North American oil and gas recovery markets with the introduction of the MoynoŽ Down-Hole Pump. Based on the progressing cavity principle, the Moyno Down-Hole Pump was developed for crude oil extraction and gas well dewatering applications.

After the tumultuous rise and decline of the ceiling fan business, the Company found itself attempting to serve too many diversified markets. In 1983 and 1984, the hoist and crane, and the Hunter fan divisions were divested.

By the late 80's, Robbins & Myers significantly broadened its role in the fluids handling marketplace with a series of market-driven, progressing cavity pump products designed to penetrate new markets, both domestically and overseas.

Robbins & Myers later found itself with a struggling Motion Control Group serving a small niche of the electric motor market and growing Fluids Handling Group. Consequently, in 1991, the Motion Control Group was divested.

Robbins & Myers established a new fluids management strategy following the divestiture of its motor business. With its strong global manufacturing and service capabilities, the Company focused itself on providing products and services for the management of the movement, properties and transformation of fluids.

Throughout the 1990's and into the new millenium, Robbins & Myers expanded its product offering with strategic acquisitions and joint ventures.

Robbins & Myers strengthened its fluids management role with the acquisition of Prochem Mixing Equipment, Ltd. in 1992. Prochem was a manufacturer of high-quality, top- and side-entering mixers. Following the Prochem acquisition, the Company added to its new industrial mixing product line with the purchase of the JWI portable mixer line in 1993.

In 1994 Robbins & Myers acquired the business and assets of Chemineer, Inc., The Pfaudler Companies, Inc. and Edlon, Inc. This opened up opportunities to serve a broader range of process industry customers. The acquisition marked the Company's entry into the design and manufacture of glass-lined reactor vessels, static mixers and heat exchangers. It also significantly expanded its agitator and mixer product lines.

The Pfaudler Companies, Inc. were organized into the Robbins & Myers Reactor Systems product platform to strengthen the focus on systems. This unit took global steps in 1996 when it formed a joint venture with Suzhou Glass-Lined Equipment Company Limited of China and purchased two Italian glass-lined equipment manufacturers - Tycon and Technoglass.

The purchase of Greerco in 1997 added high shear mixers to the Industrial Mixing product platform. In the same year, Robbins & Myers acquired PSI/Spectrum, which was combined with Edlon, Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of fluoropolymer-based, corrosion-resistant products.

Robbins & Myers solidified its presence in the energy sector in 1997 when it acquired Flow Control Equipment (FCE), a leading manufacturer of artificial lift accessories, wellhead equipment, pipeline closures, rod guides and valves.

In 1998, Robbins & Myers merged Flow Control Equipment and its Moyno Oilfield Products business unit into a single entity, R&M Energy Systems. The merger was commensurate with Robbins & Myers' approach of offering complementary products that facilitate a single-source packaging capability to better meet customers' requirements. The merger also provided for a more focused global marketing approach.

1999 saw the Company gain controlling interest of its joint venture with glass-lined manufacturer, Gujarat Machinery Manufacturers in India. The same year brought with it a product line repositioning strategy for Reactor Systems which capitalized on the Company's abilities to design and manufacture complete reactor systems. From feasibility studies and pilot plant testing to installation and start-up support, customers in served markets now have a single source of responsibility for total turnkey reactor solutions. The strategy provides opportunity for growth through extension of product, systems and service offerings.

The acquisition of Campbell Industries and Alberta Oil Tool in 2001, added leading-brand RODEC and ABI tubing rotators to the R&M Energy Systems product mix. The business unit packaged the tubing rotators with its rod rotator and rod guide products to become the global leader in tubing wear prevention solutions.

Robbins & Myers, Inc. continued to pursue its market-focused strategy with the acquisition in 2001 of Romaco N.V., a Netherlands Antilles corporation. Romaco manufactures and markets processing, packaging, printing, and security equipment utilized by the pharmaceutical, healthcare and cosmetics industries.

In 2002, Robbins & Myers reaffirmed its position as the leading progressing cavity pump supplier in North America with the acquisition of Tarby, Inc. Located in Oklahoma, this company manufactures progressing cavity pumps and components for the general industrial and wastewater treatment markets. It is now part of the Fluid Management Group, along with Moyno and R&M Energy Systems.

The March Toward Tomorrow

Robbins & Myers is focused on building its presence in growth markets. Acquisition opportunities will be guided accordingly. Internal growth will be driven by strong product development initiatives and new market penetration. The Company's ultimate objective is to enhance long-term shareholder value. Operational excellence and market leadership in niche growth markets are key elements in achieving this goal.