History | Steel King Industries, Inc.

History

Steel King is proud to celebrate 50 years!

From its humble beginnings in 1970, Steel King has grown to be a premier supplier with a national reputation for manufacturing competitively priced, quality non-powered material handling products. So much has changed over the past five decades, but our dedication to delivering a quality product and customer satisfaction has not.

1970

May 15 - Steel King Industries, Inc. is incorporated by Russ Gerhard and Fred Anderson with 5,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 9 employees in Stevens Point, WI. Product lines consist of portable racks, bolted tubular pallet rack and other custom fabrications. Columbia Cold Storage in Hammond, IN places the first order with the newly incorporated Steel King Industries, Inc.

1972

The King logo makes his debut.

1973

Sales surpass the $1 million mark, and Stevens Point facility is expanded to 18,000 square feet.

1975

Production facility in Stevens Point is again doubled in size. Crown Products division formed. Primary products include trailers jacks and agricultural implements.

1976

The Hold 'N Fold collapsible container debuts. Product is aimed primarily at the automotive industry and typical customers include Ford Motor Company, John Deere and American Motors.

1979

New London, WI manufacturing facility opened. Stevens Point, WI plant expanded once again.

c. 1980

Among Steel King's other product offerings was the Log Cleaver, c1980.

1981

New London facility converted to produce wood burning stoves and boilers.

1983

Boltless teardrop-style pallet rack introduced. The product is a hit in the new and emerging "warehouse-style" retail industry - which includes Home Centers and Office Supply retailers.

1985

The Steel King logo is introduced.

1985

Wide Span shelving introduced for light-duty hand loading. New, improved Hold 'N Fold design is patented.

1986

Steel Guard protective railing is introduced.

1988

New manufacturing plant opens in Rome, GA.

1990

Steel Guard Protective Guard Railing is marketed through Industrial Supply catalogs. By 1990, Regional Managers have been hired for the Southwest, Midwest, Central regions and East Coast states, giving the company nationwide representation.

1993

SK2000® brand closed tube boltless pallet rack is introduced. New London facility is expanded and a tube mill is installed to aid in the manufacture of the new SK2000® product. Premier Distributor program is introduced to forge a stronger link between the company and its distributors.

1995

New London facilities again expanded. A new powder coat paint system is installed that substantially increase the durability and rust resistance of products. Rome, GA plant is doubled in production size.

1996

Founder, Fred Anderson retires and owner Rob White becomes President of Steel King Industries, Inc.

1998

Quick Ship program is introduced providing 48-hour shipping from a stocking warehouse in Madison, IL (St. Louis area). Products include SK2000 pallet rack, Steel Guard, containers and portable racks. Company introduces its own Pushback rack storage and Multi-level order picking systems.

1999

New ERP (enterprise resource planning) software is examined and implementation is begun. The software fully integrates accounting, manufacturing and sales and marketing functions.

2001

February - Rob White steps back to oversee his other companies, Jay Anderson is named President.

2001

Rome, GA plant is expanded to 220,000 square feet. A powder coat paint system is installed to enhance superior durability, quality and rust resistance of the finish.

2003

National Accounts Manager is hired to focus on the sales of containers, portable racks and custom shipping solutions.

2004

Quick Ship warehouse and distribution center is relocated to Milwaukee, WI.

2006

Establishment of Project Manager position, to better address jobsite and scheduling issues/tasks. Steel King begins Business Process Lean events.

2007

Introduce Armor Guard protective railing.

2008

First high-rise ASRS rack supported building.

2010

First large-scale Mini-load ASRS project. Installation of tallest ASRS rack supported building in USA.

2011

Installation of strut mills in New London. First Steel King University (SKU) event for dealer training.

2012

First MODEX trade show in Atlanta.

2015

Steel King is rebranded; the king symbol gets a new look, and Steel King launches its new tagline “Built to Deliver”.

2017

Steel King completes its 1.5 year-long expansion of its New London, WI, production facility, nearly doubling the size of the plant and incorporating state-of-the-art robotics.

2019

Today Steel King engineers hold PE licenses in more than 30 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

2021

Steel King Industries launches NexCaliber Structures, a business group focused on providing platform and mezzanine solutions for the material storage and handling industries.