- FORCE America, Inc.
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FORCE America, Inc. 
Type Private Industry Hydraulics, manufacturing, Electronics Predecessor Mid-America Power Drives, Pederson-Sells Equipment Founded 1976 Headquarters Burnsville, Minnesota, United States Number of locations 16 (2011) Key people Steven Loeffler (CEO/Chairman of the executive board), Gerry Budzien (COO and President), Steven Bettendorf (CFO and Executive Vice President) Products cartridge valve elements, integrated hydraulic circuits, electronic circuits, electrical assemblies, turn-key control systems, weldments, reservoirs, enclosures, custom fabricated assemblies, vehicle communications and data logging systems [1] Employees 230 (end 2010) Website www.forceamerica.com FORCE America, Inc. is a privately held mobile hydraulics distribution and manufacturing company specializing in mobile hydraulic systems, components and replacement parts. Servicing more than 17,000 customers and companies in North America, FORCE America provides systems and components to the on/off highway mobile and agricultural markets, as well as emerging technologies in electrical assemblies, fabrication, vehicle communications and data logging, and liquid solution application.
Headquartered in Burnsville, Minnesota, FORCE America employs more than 230 people across more than a dozen locations including operations in Pennsylvania, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, Idaho, Bismarck, Ohio, Utah, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa.
Contents
History
FORCE America corporate building - Burnsville, Minnesota
FORCE America was the result of a merger between Mid-America Power Drives Manufacturing & Distributing, Inc. and Pederson-Sells Equipment Co., Inc. in 1997.[2]
Mid-America Power Drives was founded in 1970, originally headquartered near downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Initially Mid-America Power Drives focused on sales and marketing efforts to the on-and-off highway mobile equipment market.[3][4]
Later, product lines were added to serve new and existing markets. At the time of the merger, Mid-America Power Drives represented over a dozen major suppliers of mechanical and fluid power components with its distribution centers located in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin; serving customers primarily in the Upper Midwest States. The addition of the Colorado facility was the first step in servicing the western part of North America.
Mid-America Power Drives created an Electrical Products Manufacturing Division in 1992, giving them the ability to further develop and manufacture electronics and electrical kit assemblies.
Pederson-Sells Equipment, Inc. was a 44-year old wholesale/retail distributor of agricultural and hydraulic components serving the agricultural, industrial and mobile markets. Their customers included agriculture implement dealers, fertilizer dealers, agriculture equipment manufacturers, manufacturers of construction and industrial equipment, repair and hydraulic shops, and local and state departments of transportation in the upper Midwest area. Repair items included hydraulic pumps, valves, motors, and cylinders; hydraulic hose assembly machines numbering in excess of 700 had been placed in dealer shops.[5]
Pederson-Sells Equipment, Inc. was headquartered in Fort Dodge, Iowa, with branch office/warehouse locations in Eagan, Minnesota; Bismarck, North Dakota; and Bloomington, Illinois.
Business segments
FORCE America operates in a variety of markets and industries. Its business is organized in the segments FORCE America Distribution, FORCE Valve Manufacturing, Heartland Technical Sales, PreCise MRM, and VariTech Industries.[6]
FORCE America Distribution, LLC.
FORCE America Distribution specializes in the vocational equipment industry and is the main hub for FORCE America business operations. Distributed over 12 warehouses across the United States, FORCE America Distribution manufactures and supplies mobile hydraulic systems and components, mechanical assemblies, and repair services.
FORCE Valve Manufacturing, LLC.
FORCE Valve Manufacturing is responsible for the design and manufacturing of a various integrated mobile hydraulic valve systems. FORCE Valve Manufacturing is located in Alexandria, Minnesota.
Heartland Technical Sales, Inc.
Heartland Technical Sales in Fort Dodge, Iowa manufactures hoses, fittings, and hose kit assemblies.[7]
PreCise MRM LLC.
PreCise MRM (Mobile Resource Management) located in Meridian, Idaho specializes in Automatic Vehicle Locators which allows transportation department managers to view data on their fleet in terms of physical characteristics such as speed, heading, safety light status, fuel consumption, engine temperature, and equipment status.[8] The PreCise modules are configured and installed on the vehicles, which track vehicle location and activity, which also allow for forecasting abilities as vehicle and fleet management, mapping for route planning, defense against litigation claims, theft recovery, and other preventative maintenance.[9]
PreCise MRM was acquired from Preco Electronics in 2009 which expanded FORCE America’s ability to offer comprehensive solutions for both mobile hydraulic and resource management applications.[10]
VariTech Industries, Inc.
VariTech Industries in Alexandria, MinnesotaVariTech Industries was formed in 1994 in Garfield, Minnesota out of the need and demand for a salt-brine solution production system. Salt brine is liquid solution used for ice and snow control on paved surfaces and their first product, the SB600 brine-maker, set the standard for the industry and continues to be their top seller. The popularity of salt-brine production and the popularity of the SB600 brine-maker led to the patent of the product, which has spawned many copies over the years. VariTech Industries specializes in the following areas:
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- Salt-brine production and storage units
- Solution/brine transfer systems
- High capacity storage tanks
- Application systems, truck and trailer mounted
- Herbicide liquid solution application systems
- Dust control liquid solution application systems [11]
In 2000, FORCE America, Inc. acquired VariTech Industries as another step in their efforts to grow into the snow & ice control markets.
References
- ^ http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/product-compint-0000595857-page.html
- ^ http://trailer-bodybuilders.com/mag/trucks_force_reckoned/
- ^ http://companydatabase.org/c/power-take-offs/products-manufacturing/companys-products/hydraulic-pumps/components-electronics/force-america/force-america-inc.html
- ^ http://www.findownersearch.com/mid-america-power-drives-3530138-brand.html
- ^ http://www.trademarkia.com/pedersonsells-equipment-co-inc-75357299.html
- ^ http://www.bbb.org/minnesota/business-reviews/snow-removal-equipment/force-america-in-burnsville-mn-96010000
- ^ http://www.manta.com/c/mm2z6c4/heartland-technical-sales-inc
- ^ http://www.snowmagazineonline.com/snow-090110-precisemrm-field-dispatching.aspx
- ^ http://m2m.tmcnet.com/topics/m2mevolution/articles/61921-precise-mrm-launches-new-solution-telematics-market.htm
- ^ http://www.precisemrm.com/files/PDF/FORCEAmericaIncAcquiresPreCiseMRM.pdf
- ^ http://www.mfgpages.com/company/VariTech-Industries-Inc-5378074/
Further reading
- Foti, J. (2010, January 2). State's roads aim for low-salt diet. Retrieved February 21, 2011, from StarTribune.com: http://www.startribune.com/local/south/80513267.html
- Pederson-Sells Equipment Co., Inc. (1979). In Strike Control Segments (p. 140).
External links
Coordinates: 44°47′18.9528″N -93°16′8.6586″E / 44.788598°N 92.730928167°W
Categories:- Distributors
- Mobile Hydraulic Distributors
- Distribution companies of the United States
- Companies based in Minnesota
- Burnsville, Minnesota
- Manufacturing companies based in Minnesota
- Companies established in 1976
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