Gates Rubber
The Gates Corporation is a manufacturer of fluid power products and power transmission belts used in various automotive and industrial applications. Gates products serve several key markets such as Oil & Gas, Mobile Equipment, Fleet & Heavy-Duty Transportation, and Manufacturing.
History
The Gates Corporation was founded in 1911 by Charles Gates Sr. when he bought the Colorado Tire and Leather Company which was located in Denver, Colorado. The company manufactured only one product called the Durable Tread which was a steel-studded leather band used to extend the mileage of tires. When the company started using rubber instead of leather in 1917, Charles Gates renamed the company to the International Rubber Company. Within the same year, Charles' brother John developed the V-belt. Charles again changed the company name in 1919, calling it the Gates Rubber Company. The company continued to grow over the years, expanding by opening several new factories in various locations including one in Canada (1954), Mexico (1958), and Belgium (1963). During the next few decades, the company's expansion included the purchase of several companies including the Uniroyal Power Transmission Company and Tomkins PLC. In 1996, the company's name was changed once more, this time to The Gates Corporation. In 2014, the company was acquired by The Blackstone Group.
Photo By Brad Bridgewater from Littleton, Colorado, USA (Old Gates Rubber Plant Uploaded by xnatedawgx) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Headquarters & Locations
The Gates Corporation is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The company's Technical Center is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan while its Customer Solution Center is located in Englewood, Colorado. Gates' 24 manufacturing facilites are spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Photo by Tracie from Orange County, us (2010:07:11 17:15:44 Uploaded by xnatedawgx) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons