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Facts About Gates
When Charles Gates, Sr. bought The Colorado Tire and Leather Company in 1911 for $3,500, little did he know his small shop in Denver would evolve into a leading rubber products company. Colorado Tire and Leather made a single product, the Durable Tread, a steel-studded band of leather that motorists fastened to their flimsy car tires to extend their mileage.
From this modest beginning Gates Corporation, formerly known as The Gates Rubber Company, has grown into one of the world's largest manufacturers of industrial and automotive belts and hoses, plus a host of related products.
The company charted the course for its future success in 1917 when John Gates, Charles' brother, invented the rubber and fabric V-belt. It was a huge success and within a decade Gates established itself as the world's largest manufacturer of V-belts, a title it still holds today.
In the years that followed the company aggressively expanded its product line. Today, Gates serves customers in the industrial and automotive markets with a full line of belt and hose products.
Meeting the needs of global customers
Gates is a truly global organization. In 1954, the company opened its first international manufacturing facility in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Expansion to other countries followed. In 1958, the Rubber Company opened Gates Rubber de Mexico. In 1963, Gates built a belt and hose plant in Erembodegem, Belgium, the first of many European facilities.
Today, Gates is the only non-tire producing rubber company with sales and manufacturing operations in all of the world's major markets, including North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America.
Every day, customers around the world rely on Gates products in an almost endless range of applications. Gates hoses transfer a variety of materials, from the finest wines to chemicals, steam and crude oil. The company's industrial belts provide power to all kinds of machines, from rock crushers, copy machines and motorcycles to snowmobiles and machine tools. Car, truck and heavy equipment engines stay cool in the harshest conditions thanks to Gates coolant hose. Its automotive belts transfer power to engine accessories such as air conditioners, power steering pumps and alternators. And Gates hydraulic hoses and coupling assemblies provide fluid power to coal mining, timber harvesting and construction equipment.
Markets served by Gates include the industrial and automotive original equipment and replacement markets, agriculture, transportation, mining, forestry, construction, office equipment, computer, and the food processing and handling markets.
Organization
Gates is organized into three product groups -- Worldwide Power Transmission, Worldwide Automotive Hoses, and Worldwide Hydraulic and Industrial Hose & Connectors. The worldwide product groups are responsible for product development, manufacturing, product globalization and manufacturing capacity and utilization.
Sales, marketing and distribution activities are handled by Gates Europe, Gates Asia/Pacific Operations, and The Americas, which includes North America, South America and the Caribbean.
The company sells its products directly to automotive and industrial original equipment manufacturers and through a network of 150,000 distributors, jobbers and dealers worldwide.
Gates Quality Commitment
Over the years, Gates built its reputation by providing the highest-quality products and services. That dedication to quality continues today with the Gates Quality Commitment. At Gates, the definition of quality is simple and straightforward -- "To meet or exceed customer expectations with products, services and experiences that are superior to the competition."
Around the world, Gates operations meet the highest quality standards, including ISO and QS-9000.
In addition, Gates has an internal quality process, the Gates Business Leadership Process, or GBLP. The GBLP ensures that all Gates associates work to meet the goals of the company and the needs of customers.
Gates' Parent Company -- Tomkins plc
In 1996, Gates became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tomkins plc, ending 85 years of ownership by the Gates family. At the time of the transaction, Gates was the largest non-tire rubber company in the world.
Tomkins plc is a world class global engineering and manufacturing group with market and technical leadership across two businesses: Industrial & Automotive and Building Products.
