Amerex
 | |
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Fire protection |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder |
Ned Paine George Baureis |
| Headquarters | Trussville, Alabama, U.S. |
Key people | Bill Beyer (President) |
| Products | Fire extinguishers, fire alarms, gas detectors |
| Revenue | $100 million (annually)[1] |
Number of employees | 500 (2011) |
| Parent | McWane, Inc. |
| Website |
www |
Amerex Corporation is a large American manufacturer of firefighting products. Based in Trussville, Alabama, Amerex makes hand portable and wheeled fire extinguishers for commercial and industrial environments, as well as fire and explosion suppression vehicle systems for defense applications.[1][2] Amerex's innovative technology has led to the production of pre-engineered automatic restaurant systems, vehicle fire suppression systems, gas detection, industrial systems and fire detection devices. McWane, Inc. acquired Amerex in 1999.
History
Amerex was founded in 1971 by Ned Paine and George Baureis. Paine was part of the Amerex team until his retirement in September 1999. He sold the company to McWane, Inc. the same year.[3]
In 2010, Amerex began emerging as a major military subcontractor after developing a fire suppression system being deployed on American military vehicles often targeted by mines and homemade bombs in the Middle East. The company is a subcontractor of the Oshkosh Corporation, a maker of military vehicles. The vehicles use safety equipment, including fire suppression gear, made by Amerex for Oshkosh vehicles. Optical sensors are used to detect fires and explosions instantly, which then directs a series of jets and hoses to put out the fire with a concealed substance.[4]
In 2011, Amerex acquired The Solberg Company, another firefighting equipment company based in Bergen, Norway.[5]
According to Amerex President Bill Beyer, the fire extinguisher sales tend to follow the general economy and growth in new buildings.[4]
Amerex produces 2.5 million commercial and industrial fire extinguishers each year.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Birmingham Business Journal by Cindy Riley, Special. "Amerex weathers changes to fire-suppression business - Birmingham Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ↑ "Trussville's Amerex cuts 20 jobs - Birmingham Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. June 4, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ↑ Birmingham Business Journal by Jennifer Park. "Paine lets go of the Amerex reins - Birmingham Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- 1 2 "Amerex to put out fires in new armored vehicle". Blog.al.com. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ↑ "The Solberg Company Breaks Ground for Manufacturing Plant and Headquarters in Howard". Retrieved January 28, 2012.