Sheller-Globe Corporation was a U.S. auto parts manufacturer and industrial conglomerate based in
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
. Formed in 1966 on a heritage of much older companies, Sheller-Globe grew through the acquisition (and divesture) of many other businesses before it was acquired by
United Technologies Corporation
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems ...
in 1989.
History
Sheller-Globe Corporation was established in 1966, with the combination of two much older companies, the earlier having been formed in the 19th century.
1882: Globe Files Company
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...
-based
Globe Files Company was formed in Cincinnati in 1882. The original purpose of the Globe Files Company was to manufacture file cabinets and office equipment. Two years after the company was formed, its first catalogue was released. As business expanded into diverse areas, the company's name was changed to the Globe Company. In 1890, the Michigan-based office supply company Wernicke Company was acquired. The company became
Globe Wernicke.
In the 1950s Globe-Wernicke was acquired by the
Toledo-based City Auto Stamping Company, a maker of automotive body parts dies and other large stampings, which made grilles, light fixtures, consoles, and arm rests for large automobile manufacturers. The combined company was renamed Globe-Wernicke Industries, Inc., and it subsequently acquired the Aluminum Seating Corporation of
Akron, Ohio
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...
.
1916: Sheller Manufacturing Corporation
In the mid-1960s, as a new emphasis was placed on automotive safety features, Globe-Wernicke took a close look at the Detroit-based Sheller Manufacturing Corporation.
Sheller began in 1916 as a wood rim steering wheel manufacturer in
Portland, Indiana
Portland is a city in and the county seat of Jay County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,223 at the 2010 census, and in 2018 the estimated population was 6,085.
History
Portland was platted in 1837. It was named after Portland, M ...
. In 1958, Sheller had produced the first recessed safety steering wheel and padded dash safety package offered by
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
.
1966: Sheller-Globe created, growth
In 1966, the Dana Corporation was attempting a take-over of the Sheller Corporation, and the then President and CEO of Sheller, Januarius Arthur Mullen organized the leveraged merger with Globe which resulted in a private Sheller-Globe Corporation. The merger of the two companies took place on December 30, 1966. Headquarters of the new industrial conglomerate focused on auto parts were in
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
.
In 1969, Sheller-Globe acquired the
Superior Coach Company
Superior Coach was a coachbuilder in the American automotive industry. Founded in 1909 as the Garford Motor Truck Company, Superior is best known for constructing bodies for professional cars (hearses) and school buses. Following major downtur ...
, a long time
school bus and
professional car manufacturer based in
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
in
Allen County, Ohio
Allen County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The county seat is Lima. The county was created in 1820 and organized in 1831. The county is named in honor of Colonel John Allen, who was killed leading his ...
, as a subsidiary.
In 1974, Cleveland-based VLN Corporation was merged into Sheller-Globe. VLN's
Leece-Neville divisions supplied heavy-duty alternators and related equipment to the automotive industry, and fractional horsepower motors for automotive and industrial customers. Its Paramount Fabricating division in Detroit made automotive stampings and assemblies, The Accurate Parts line of starter motor components served automotive aftermarkets. Another part of VLN, Victoreen Instrument Company was a leader in developing and producing electronic components and equipment.
In 1981 Sheller-Globe acquired Radiation-Medical Products Corporation, a manufacturer of radiation medical instruments and x-ray measuring instrumentation. The acquisition of this particular company had little to do with the automobile industry, and the decision to become involved in an unrelated area reflected a new disposition to capitalize on any market that looked extremely productive. Radiation Medical's operations were therefore merged into Victoreen.
In 1982 Sheller-Globe acquired the automotive business of Detroit-based Olsonite Corporation, a company which made steering wheels and injection-molded plastic parts and components. In 1984, Sheller-Globe acquired Northern Fibre Products Company, manufacturer of insulation and sound deadening materials and products for vehicle interiors.
Sheller-Globe's plastics manufacturing capabilities were also expanded in 1984 with the addition of the Engineered Polymers Company, a custom molder of structural foam cabinets for computers, word processors, work station components, communications devices, networking systems and other business machines.
Downsizing
Beginning in 1980, Sheller-Globe disposed of some additional units which were not as profitable as desired. Following a downturn in North American school bus purchase volumes as the children of the
Baby Boom completed school, industry over-capacity among school bus manufacturers and a downturn in sales of funeral coaches, the company discontinued bus and
professional car manufacturing at Superior Coach in Lima in late 1980, and portions of its assets were sold.
Mid Bus
Mid Bus was a corporation which specialized in manufacturing customized school buses. Formed in 1981 by former employees of Superior Coach Company in Lima, Ohio, it grew from a dozen employees working in a small facility in Lima to become one of ...
, a small business based in Lima, resumed production of the smallest Superior school buses, beginning with a workforce of 7 persons. The small business grew successfully, and after a move to a much larger facility at
Bluffton, Ohio
Bluffton, originally known as Shannon, is a village in Allen and Hancock counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 4,125 at the 2010 census. Bluffton is home to Bluffton University, a four-year educational institution affiliated w ...
, was acquired by
Collins Industries in 1998. In 1981, the
funeral car business of Superior was sold to Tom Earnhart, and as of 2007, continues to operate as a portion of Accubuilt, Inc., using the
Superior Coach Company
Superior Coach was a coachbuilder in the American automotive industry. Founded in 1909 as the Garford Motor Truck Company, Superior is best known for constructing bodies for professional cars (hearses) and school buses. Following major downtur ...
trade name. In 1987, the Leece-Neville division was sold to
Prestolite Electric
Prestolite Electric Incorporated is a global manufacturer and supplier of alternators, starters, electrical equipment, and services to the transportation, industrial, military, marine, agricultural and construction industries. The company sells i ...
. That same year the Globe-Weis company was sold to the American Trading and Production Company.
In the mid-1980s, Sheller-Globe began fine-tuning its operations, largely abandoning automotive replacement parts (aftermarket) sales. Instead, it focused more on original equipment interior automotive products for the automotive manufacturers. Sheller-Globe's automotive related divisions supplied a wide range of original equipment parts, components and assemblies to the vehicle manufacturers. Products included thermoplastic, urethane and leather-wrapped steering wheels, instrument panel pads, padded consoles, arm rests and other padded components, tail lamp assemblies and a larger number of other products for vehicles.
Carrollton Bus Disaster
Many years after Sheller-Globe exited the school bus manufacturing business, a disastrous accident occurred with one of Superior bus bodies it had built. It was the worst school bus accident in U.S. history as of January 2007.
On May 14, 1988, shortly before 11:00 PM, a 1977 model school bus with a Ford B-700 chassis and a 66 passenger Superior body in use as a church bus was involved in the
Carrollton bus disaster near
Carrollton, Kentucky
Carrollton is a home rule-class city in—and the county seat of— Carroll County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Kentucky rivers. The population was 3,938 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Carrollton is located in n ...
. 27 persons died and many more were injured after their bus was involved in a head-on collision with a drunk driver traveling the wrong way on
Interstate 71
Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 in Kentucky, I-64 and ...
. Although none of the bus occupants suffered mortal injuries in the impact, the victims were unable to evacuate quickly immediately after the impact as the gasoline tank of the bus ruptured and a fire broke out.
The bus had been built only 9 days before the 1977 FMVSS standards would have required additional collision protection of the Ford fuel tank. Improved access to emergency exits in the bus body would also have been required. The
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation and report was also critical of the flammability of the bus seats which had exacerbated the inability of the bus occupants to exit their burning bus.
The accident and the legal battle afterward were recounted in a 1994 book by
James S. Kuen. ''Reckless Disregard: Corporate Greed, Government Indifference, and the Kentucky School Bus Crash'' was published by Simon & Schuster of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. ()
Although no legal determination of
product liability
Product liability is the area of law in which manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, retailers, and others who make products available to the public are held responsible for the injuries those products cause. Although the word "product" has b ...
was ever made, Sheller-Globe and
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
each contributed substantially to the settlement funds for those injured and the families of those who were killed.
United Technologies Corporation
In the late 1980s, Sheller-Globe Corporation was acquired by
United Technologies Corporation
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems ...
, and became known as the United Technologies Automotive Engineered Systems Division. In 1999,
Lear Corporation
Lear Corporation is an American company that manufactures automotive seating and automotive electrical systems. In 2019, it ranked #147 and in 2018, it ranked #148 on the Fortune 500 list.
Early stages
Lear Corporation was launched as American ...
purchased United Technologies Automotive from United Technologies Corporation.
References
Sheller-Globe CorporationSuperior History
{{Authority control
Bus manufacturers of the United States
Defunct companies based in Ohio
Companies based in Toledo, Ohio
Private equity portfolio companies