Stearns

Stearns, a division of Rexnord Corporation, is a manufacturer of industrial brakes, clutches, switches for single phase motors, and miscellaneous brake and clutch products. Its full line of products include spring-set (power-off) brakes, electrically-set (power-on) clutches and brakes, heavy duty clutches and brakes, and SINPAC electronic centrifugal switches.

History

Stearns was established in 1916 by R.H. Stearns. In 1928, the company introduced the first DC clutch and brake, some of which are still used today. In 1935, the company created the first AC motor brake. In 1967, Stearns was acquired by Link Belt Company and, later on, by FMC Corp. as the FMC Power Transmission Group. In 1981, the group was bought by KKR and became PT Components, Inc. PT Components was bought by Banner Industries in 1988 and was combined with Rexnord Mechanical Power Systems Group to become Rexnord Corp. In 1993, Rexnord was bought by BTR. Two years later, the company became ISO 9001:2000 certified. In 1999, BTR merged with Siebe, PLC. Following the merger, a new group, Invensys, PLC, was formed. Three years later, Invensys was acquired by the Carlyle Group and the company name was changed to Rexnord Industries, Inc. In 2006, the company was bought by Apollo Management, LP. Over the years, Stearns created many options and modifications that allow its users to tailor the product according to their specific needs. The company has also expanded its product lines to include SINPAC electronic centrifugal switches, rectifiers, and status switches, and DC direct-acting brakes.

Headquarters & Locations

Stearns is headquartered in Cudahy, Wisconsin and has more than 500 distributor locations across the globe.