The Gerstenslager Company was a maker of past model

body panel A quarter panel (British English: rear wing) is the body panel (exterior surface) of an automobile between a rear door (or only door on each side for two-door models) and the trunk (boot) and typically wraps around the wheel well. The similar f ...

s for several major auto makers. In the 1950s the company was best known for making large custom vehicles such as

bookmobile A bookmobile or mobile library is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Bookm ...

canteen {{Primary sources, date=February 2007 Canteen is an Australian national support organisation for young people (aged 12–25) living with cancer; including cancer patients, their brothers and sisters, and young people with parents or primary carers ...

s and mobile television units.

History

The company started in 1860 as a carriage factory known as the Wehe Company in

Marshallville, Ohio Marshallville is a village in Wayne County, Ohio. The population was 756 at the time of the 2010 census. Marshallville was originally called Bristol, and under the latter name was laid out in 1817. Geography Marshallville is located at (40.900 ...

. In 1882 blacksmith George Gerstenslager went to work for the company, and by 1904 was the owner and

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

. In 1907, the company moved to

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at t ...

. In the early 1920s, Gerstenslager changed from production of buggies, surreys and wagons to

van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

bodies and special truck bodies. After

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, Gerstenslager began producing custom-built mobile units such as Bookmobiles, fire rescue vehicles, dental units, canteens, mobile X-ray units, mobile hospitals, as well as mobile television units used by the major networks. The company also built vehicles for the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

. In the early 1950s, Gerstenslager designed five

Wienermobile A fleet of motor vehicles shaped like a hot dog on a bun, called "Wienermobile", are used to promote and advertise Oscar Mayer products in the United States. The first Wienermobile was created by Oscar Mayer's nephew, Carl G. Mayer, in 1936. ...

s for the

Oscar Mayer Oscar Mayer is an American meat and cold cut producer known for its hot dogs, bologna, bacon, ham, and Lunchables products. The company is a subsidiary of the Kraft Heinz Company and based in Chicago, Illinois. History Early years German immigr ...

hot dog producer. In the 1960s, the company expanded to make parts for the automotive, truck and agricultural industries. After expanding their sheet metal stamping capabilities in support of the custom truck division, the stamping division continued to grow through partnerships with most major automotive manufacturers to make aftermarket parts. In later years the stamping division became the larger part of the company and the custom truck division was shut down in 1986 so the company could focus all resources to the stamping division. In 1997, Gerstenslager was acquired by

Worthington Industries Worthington Industries, Inc. is a global diversified metals manufacturing company based in Columbus, Ohio. It is a steel processor and manufacturer of pressure vessels, such as propane, oxygen and helium tanks, hand torches, refrigerant and indu ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. In 2011, Worthington merged Gerstenslager into International Tooling Solutions to form ArtiFlex Manufacturing; Worthington remains a part-owner of ArtiFlex.

External links

*{{official, http://www.artiflexmfg.com/about_gerstco.html Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Ohio Companies based in Ohio