Carlisle Tire & Wheel history

A century ago, Charles Moomy had a plan to employ a workforce of 60 to 75 men to manufacture bicycle inner tubes starting in early 1918.

The stock market crash in October 1929 began a 10-year depression

By 1930, the price of natural rubber dropped to a low of 3 cents a pound and Montgomery Ward & Company stock fell by more than 50%. In an effort to save its customer base, Carlisle offered to pay half of Montgomery Ward’s excise taxes on inner tubes.

In accordance with the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933, the Internal Revenue Service accepted write-offs of $452,938 for Carlisle’s debt, allowing Moomy to narrowly forestall bankruptcy.

In 1943, the Pharis Tire and Rubber Co. purchased the Carlisle firm for $330,000.

27, 1950, sports legend Jim Thorpe visited the local Tire and Rubber plant as part of a tour of Carlisle that also included a Rotary Club luncheon at the Molly Pitcher Hotel, a speech before Carlisle High School students at the Lamberton building and a dinner at Carlisle Barracks.

An aerial photo of the Carlisle Tire and Rubber plant circa 1960.

Starting in 1963 and continuing throughout the decade, Carlisle’s Wire and Cable business suffered slower demand for defense and space related products as the Vietnam War increased in scale, leading to a decline in government orders.

Carlisle launched its first corporate branding campaign in 1972

A recession began in the United States which lasted until 1975.

The battle gained traction in 1978, when Tire and Rubber filed an unfair trade complaint against Taiwanese manufacturers with the federal government.

Capital expenditures in 1979 were also a record $24 million, a large percentage of which was spent on expansion of capacity to produce Sure- Seal roofing systems.

During this time, Carlisle was also very successful in the rubber roof market, which accounted for most of the company's earnings and brought in 43 percent of its profits for 1980.

Carlisle's strength in its market niches earned it a place among the Fortune 500 companies in 1985 with sales of $527 million.

The year before, in 1986, Carlisle Corp. was restructured into a holding company and renamed Carlisle Cos.

The stock market crash on October 19th, 1987, did not significantly affect Carlisle’s 1987 net sales, which ended at a record $543 million.

In 1988, Carlisle bought Ivan software, a developer of utility software, while selling its International Wire Products Company.

Carlisle finished 1989 with $553 million in net sales with EBIT margin of 8%.

Moving forward to the 1990’s Carlisle acquired several wheel manufacturers to augment product offerings and the Company officially became Carlisle Tire & Wheel Company.

In September 1991, Carlisle purchased SiLite Corporation, a maker of reusable mugs, cups, and dishes for restaurants and cafeterias, with manufacturing facilities in California, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Carlisle Memory Products group, which manufactured and marketed cartridges for backing up main memory tapes of small and mid-sized computer systems, was sold to Verbatim Corporation in 1992.

1993 Goodyear sells its roofing products business to Carlisle.

In 1994, Carlisle expanded manufacturing operations into the Asia Pacific region, acquiring a tire factory in Buji, China.

In 1996, the company acquired five companies and secured record sales and earnings.

In September, 1997 Canadian distribution operations were acquired in Waterloo, Ontario; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

1999 Johnson Truck Bodies is acquired.

To expand lawn, garden and agricultural production capacity, Carlisle purchased a factory in Clinton, Tennessee and additional distribution operations in Slinger, Wisconsin in 2000.

In 2001, Carlisle expanded into the industrial belt industry, purchasing the industrial belt division of Dayco including facilities in Springfield, Missouri; Ft.

MiraDri, a waterproofing firm specializing in commercial and residential applications, was Carlisle's single acquisition during 2002.

Net income rose even higher in 2003, reaching $88.9 million.

Zhejiang Kete and ArvinMeritor were purchased in 2005.

2006 Carlisle Process Systems is sold.

About this time, Pharis acquired the Molded Materials Company, a brake lining business in Ridgway, Pennsylvania, which would later become part of Carlisle Brake & Friction in 2008.

On July 22, 2009, company officials announced the Carlisle Tire & Wheel plant on North College Street was going to close within 12 to 15 months, affecting about 340 employees.

In 2010, a 670,000 sq. ft. distribution center was opened in McDonough, Georgia followed by a flagship 568,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Jackson, Tennessee.

In 2011 all tire, wheel and belt operations were consolidated, forming Carlisle Transportation Products.

American Industrial Partners (AIP) acquired the Transportation Products division of Carlisle Companies on December 31, 2013.

Rotary Lift Company was later sold and became the present-day Dover Corporation with 2015 sales of $6.9 billion and traded under the symbol “DOV.”

September 2017 marked the 100 year anniversary of Carlisle Companies.