Trico
 |
|
| Private | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1917 |
| Founder | John R. Oishei |
| Headquarters | formerly Buffalo, New York; now Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA |
|
Area served
|
worldwide |
|
Key people
|
Gregory Flake (President and CEO) |
| Products | Wiper blades |
| Owner | Crowne Group, LLC |
|
Number of employees
|
6,000 |
| Website | tricoproducts.com |
Trico is an American company that specializes in windshield wipers. Trico, then known as Tri-Continental Corporation, invented the windshield wiper blade in 1917. Its original Trico Plant No. 1 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Trico is today one of the leading manufacturers of windshield wiping systems, windshield wiper blades and refills globally, with wiper plants on five continents.
In 1917, the Tri-Continental Corporation was founded by John R. Oishei and introduced one of the first windshield wipers, known as Rain Rubber, for the slotted, two-piece windshields found on many of the automobiles of the time.
In the years after the creation of the first windshield wiper, Trico was involved in the development of vacuum-powered wiper systems. Trico was involved in a patent dispute with William M. Folberth who, with his brother Fred, invented a vacuum-powered wiper motor in 1919. The patent was granted in 1922, and Trico later purchased the Folberth company to settle the dispute. Vacuum wiper motors produced by Trico carry an earliest patent number that dates back to 1928.
In 1928, as Trico Folberth Ltd, Trico opened a UK plant on the Great West Road in Brentford, Middlesex, that was situated on the so-called Golden Mile. The site closed in the late 1990s and the company relocated its UK operations to Pontypool, South Wales.
Trico also produced an air-pressure powered system for heavy-duty trucks and large military vehicles, as well as marine applications such as Chris-Craft and others where diesel engines were used. The air-pressure system uses a Trico-Folberth wiper motor that has patent dates cast into it that go as far back as 1922. Later versions of these motors carry patent numbers that show an earliest patent date of around 1936.
In 1998, Trico then moved their head office from Buffalo to Rochester Hills.
In 2002, Trico closed its "Plant #1" in Buffalo, New York. This ended a nearly 20-year process of shifting its production to Mexico. The building is currently being redeveloped as part of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
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Wikipedia