Menominee Plant History from the Menominee County Historical Society records.
Year
1892 Menominee Electrical and Mechanical Company is founded. Products: Crank telephone generators, telephones and switch boards. 1904
Original plant burns operations are temporarily moved to Marinette, Wisconsin.
New plant opens at present site. Product line is expanded to include Telegraph Instruments and Wireless Radio devices.
1919
Menominee Electric Co. is reorganized and renamed the Signal Electric Manufacturing Co. Products: Bells, Wireless Radio Instruments, Medical Batteries, Telegraph Instruments, small electric motors, fans, portable electric hand tools.
Note: Space in building is shared with another company until 1921.
1937/1938
North wing is built and expanded.
South wing is built. It was then called the Central Wing.
1952
King-Seeley Thermos Co. purchases the Signal Electric Manufacturing Co.
Products: Fans, heaters, small portable electric hand tools and small electric motors.
1954
Central Wing and Receiving are built.
June 1st, 1964
King-Seeley Thermos announces it will close the Signal Electric Division in Menominee, Michigan.
Oct. 30th, 1964
The Vernco Corporation of Tennessee agrees to purchase the Signal Electric Division from the King-Seeley Thermos Co.
November 1964
The Vernco Corporation of Tennessee -Menominee Division begins operations. Products: Electric motors for humidifiers and fans, filters for air conditioning units and automotive parts.
First utility vacs are made. First plastic injection moulding machine delivered at Menominee. During the period when Gil Audrette was Plant Manager the first Quality Manual was developed. Gil developed most of the manual and on January 5th, 1972 Tom Schenk was appointed Quality Control Manager.
1970
Current warehouse location constructed at 13th location.
1970s
Additional product lines introduced. Hair clippers, Roto tools, Engravers, Solder guns, converters for shavers.