Articles
Sunnen Celebrates 75th Anniversary Amid Growing Global Success
August 31, 1999
Precision bore-sizing and finishing machine builder, Sunnen Products Company (St. Louis) is celebrating its 75th anniversary of service to industrial users through a growing network of direct sales representatives and international distributors who sell to 31,000 customers worldwide.
From its beginnings in the garage of entrepreneur Joseph Sunnen, the company has grown into a global operation through continuous product development. The St. Louis campus HQ houses full-scale technical centers for research, testing, and training. The company's products range from machines, tooling, abrasives, and accessories for bore sizing and finishing for the industrial market to machines for rebuilding engines.
Manufacturing and sales/service facilities are located in St. Louis; Ashland, OH; the United Kingdom; Switzerland; Italy; and China. Technical Centers in Europe and China allow Sunnen product lines to be custom-tailored to meet the needs of customers in widely differing industrial markets.
James K. Berthold, president and CEO, marked the event with these comments: "Our commitment to research and development has allowed Sunnen to remain at the leading edge of the industrial market. The fact that we are the largest in our field is a testament to the spirit of innovation that has guided this company since 1924."
Between 1992 and 1999, Sunnen doubled in size without straying from its founding philosophy of providing high quality products and personalized customer service, according to Berthold. The product offering looks very different from the past, however. Manually operated, low production honing machines are giving way to high production, automated bore sizing systems that can turn out thousands of completed parts with minimal operator assistance.
"The possibilities in this rapidly changing age are virtually endless," says Berthold. "Our customers know they can expect precision industrial honing products that take advantage of all the knowledge and technology available. That's the reason we've been successful for 75 years."
