|  Our
start was many years ago and from a very humble beginning.
Merit Gear and Machine Company was founded in 1952 by two gear
makers from Chicago who were as interested in fishing as they
were in making gears. They saw the beauty of Northern Wisconsin,
smelled the fresh North Woods pine air, and knew immediately
that Antigo was the ideal place to build a gear company. These
serene surroundings and this meticulous, hard-working labor
force would give Merit a unique, sustainable advantage that
would enable us to become one of the world’s premier
small-scale manufacturers.
Merit’s first gears were
for the tractor replacement market and for general machine
applications. For a brief time Merit also manufactured snowmobiles,
but this venture soon ended when it became clear that Merit
needed to focus on the core business of making high-quality
gears. In 1965 Merit Gear and Machine was purchased by Foundry
Allied Industries (FAI) of Racine, Wisconsin, who brought
new management ideas and fresh capital to help Merit rise
to the next level of quality gear manufacturing. During the FAI years, Merit grew
in size and scope, and embraced the concept of Continuous
Improvement as one of the fundamental values that would position
us for the future. We invested in new equipment, implemented
new quality methods, and developed new competencies that
would enable us to exceed our customers’ ever-growing
quality standards. In 1982 we purchased our first CNC Lathe.
In 1984 we opened our in-house heat-treating facility. Soon
afterwards we opened our in-house metallurgical lab to provide
verified quality control for our customers. In 1991, Merit
Gear Corporation was spun off of FAI, regaining its status
as an independent company. We have continued to reinvest
the rewards of our labor in new technologies and have focused
on maintaining the world-class skills that set us apart from
other gear makers. Today, most of our work is performed by
CNC machines at all stages of production. We continue to
expand our capabilities by investing in the finest machinery
available and by continuously updating the skills of our
dedicated workforce. In 1997 we received our first ISO Certification.
In 2004 we received our current ISO 9001-2000 certification,
which includes certification to create complete design programs
in addition to manufacturing gears. In 2004 we also added
an experienced Ph.D. Engineer to our team to provide our
customers with true “full service” gear and gearbox
support. We outgrew our original facility
on Neva Road many years ago and moved into a larger space
on Elm Street. We eventually outgrew that site and moved
into the facility on Hudson Street where we still do our
production today. We have since expanded this plant five
times, being careful to grow our capacity only after we have
first grown our quality. In 2005 we completed yet another
plant expansion, this time providing a new, world-class gearbox
design and assembly facility that enables us to build precision
enclosed drives in a clean, climate-controlled environment. The people of Merit Gear are homegrown,
proud, and extremely hard working. Many of our “old
timers” learned the real meaning of work in the potato
fields that surround the city. Our people are from a special
blend of European ancestors that came to America to farm
and log the land. They understand hard work and take immense
pride in whatever they do. Merit's employees play a key role
in our special ability to continuously improve our gear-making
skill and knowledge. They are persistent pursuers of perfection
who do not stop at “good enough.” Our work force
also remains steady over the years with very little turnover.
Many of our employees started at Merit decades ago as apprentice
machinists and are now master gear makers who produce some
of the world’s finest precision gears.  Today our work force of over one
hundred dedicated people is focused on supplying high-precision
loose production and prototype gearing, along with the complete
design and assembly of custom enclosed drives for the industry’s
most exacting customers.
It is their skill that lies at
the core of our ability to provide uniquely high-quality
gears for our customers; and it is their experience and efficiency
that enable us to provide great value, too. They are what
make Merit Gear Corporation "America's Best Value for
Precision Gearing." We invite you to visit our facility
and to meet our unique team in Antigo, and we would welcome
the opportunity to show you how your company could benefit
from a partnership with Merit Gear. |
