Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
JI Companies history
JI Companies company history timeline
Such a machine had already been patented by inventors in Maine in 1837, but Case had not seen their invention.
In 1842, Jerome Case moved to Rochester, Wisconsin, then the growing heart of the wheat culture in the United States.
When Rochester balked at his petition for water-power rights, Case moved to Racine, Wisconsin, in 1844, playing a part in that town’s explosive growth.
1847 In Chicago, Cyrus McCormick founds the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company which will later become International Harvester.
By 1848, Case was producing 100 threshers a year and claimed he was meeting only half of the orders received.
1850-60s Both companies grow market share and McCormick adds features to the reaper while Case diversifies power sources for the thresher.
The poor harvest and financial panic of 1857 did not prevent the company, then still specializing in threshers, from introducing new products.
In 1862, Case began selling the “Sweepstakes,” a thresher capable of producing 300 bushels of wheat a day.
Pressures, including the Civil War, drove Case to create a co-partnership by 1863, established as J.I. Case & Co.
Case envisioned a steam-powered thresher that would work faster and out-perform the old horse-power method. (Engine Number One Built in 1869)In 1869, the first Case steam engine was produced.
KCL was founded in 1874 and began as a cattle-raising venture that branched into petroleum royalties after oil was discovered.
The first Case "traction" engine was developed by 1876.
In 1878, Case produced its first steam traction engine, and by the following year had sold 109 of them.
The partnership included Case, Massena Erskine, and Stephen Bull until 1880.
The business was reorganized in 1884 and named J.I.Case Plow Works.
The Building was razed in 1890's to make way for the Eagle Building)In Racine, Case rented a small shop and began to build crude threshers, improving them as new models were made.
Jerome Case withdrew from the firm in 1890 and his son Jackson I. Case became the company President.
After his death in 1891, Jerome Case in his will disposed of all interests in the J.I. Case Threshing Machine co., and left the Plow Works to his family.
1892 Case builds a gasoline-powered tractor.
1895 married the former Pauline L. Rollert in Kansas City, Mo.
Competition between thresher manufacturers lead to the dissolution of the Thresher Manufacturers Association in 1898 and increased rivalries.
In 1899 Emerson Manufacturing Co. purchased a 19-acre tract west of Rockford.
1902 J.P. Morgan brokers the merger of the McCormick, Deering, and three smaller brands into the International Harvester Company.
1907 – 195_: Jay D. White, wife Pauline, sales manager Emerson Mfg.
Advertising postcard that was for sale on www.ebay.com, 1909
1910 International Harvester introduces the colossal Titan tractor, confirming its tractor legacy in both size and strength.
However, the market is not ready for the transition from steam, so Case waits until 1911 to reintroduce it.
Bull became chairman of the board in 1916 and was succeeded in presidency by Warren J. Davis.
1919 International Harvester invents the first commercial power takeoff which premieres in the 8-16 model.
The design and manufacture of lighter, smaller versions of the engines made Case a major player in the gasoline tractor market by the 1920s.
1923 Bert Benjamin builds first of the legendary Farmall, a unified system of tractors and implements for plowing, cultivation and harvesting, featuring a revolutionary light design.
Case’s profits fell steadily, despite the addition of a combine to its line in 1923.
Most steam engine products were eclipsed by the gasoline tractor by 1924.
In 1924, Case’s new president, Leon R. Clausen, assumed the reigns after leaving John Deere Company.
The company name was changed to J.I. Case Company after further reorganization around 1928.
1936 Harvester Red #50 is adopted for all International Harvester tractors, crawlers and power units on 1 November 1936.
The Rock Island Plow Company was acquired in 1937, adding drills, spreaders, and plows to the company’s offerings.
Case, Harvester, and Deere were responsible for three quarters of the farm machinery sold in the United States by 1937.
1939 International Harvester introduces the second generation Farmall - the Letter Series - on August 9, 1939.
1943 International Harvester creates first successful spindle cotton picker. "Old Red" was mounted on a Farmall Tractor H. Both are donated for display at the Smithsonian Institution.
Source: Rockfordiana Historic Houses and Landmarks – 1, article found in Rockford Morning Star 1/5/1946
Sales growth on the west coast led to a plant purchase in California in 1947.
Depleted by the strike and its aftermath, Clausen stepped down as president in 1948, staying on as chairman of the board.
These factors helped Case post a profit through 1949, despite its costly strike.
June 6, 1950, paper announces death of Jay D. White, 86, Retired Official of J. I. Case Co.
But it took time for tractors to become standard farm equipment; as a power source on United States farms, draft animals outnumbered tractors until 1952.
by 1955, William E. Sterling and wife Marian D. were residing at 1224 National Ave.
To revitalize its industrial line, Case acquired American Tractor Corporation (ATC) in 1957.
Case launched its industrial equipment line in 1957 as though it were new, but it had been making industrial units based on agricultural models for three decades.
But sales rose 50 percent in 1957, reaching $124 million.
1958 The Steiger family builds their first tractor with a higher horsepower than what was then available on the market.
Clausen, head of the board, strongly opposed Rojtman’s presidency and his debt load, and resigned in 1958.
Case’s debt load in 1959 was $236 million.
William Grede replaced Rojtman in 1960.
Between the new offering and special discounts, Case sales were still strong in 1960.
Commercial production starts in 1963.
In May 1964, the Kern County Land Company (KCL) of California acquired majority stock in Case.
In 1964, Case introduced the 1200 Traction King, a 4-wheel drive, 120 horsepower giant that marked the company’s entry into the large agricultural tractor market.
By 1966, Case’s income decline had been reversed.
In 1968, Tenneco acquired Drott Manufacturing Company in Wisconsin and leased it to Case.
Thomas Guendel took over company presidency in 1972 and commanded a chapter of unprecedented growth until he left Case seven years later.
1977 The launch of the Axial Flow Combine revolutionizes the industry with its simplicity, grain quality, grain savings, crop adaptability, matched capacity and an added resale value.
France’s Poclain Company, the largest manufacturer of hydraulic excavators in the world, was purchased by Case in 1977.
Because Drott’s excavators could not be sold in Europe due to trade restrictions, Poclain was a savvy purchase; it was a recognized world-wide market leader. It was awarded a $55 million contract with the Army and Air Force in 1978.
When Jerome K. Green replaced Guendel in 1979, Case passed the $2 billion mark in revenues.
1980 International Harvester produces the innovative 2+2 row crop articulated tractor, with the driver seated on the rear half of the tractor.
New general purpose tractors had been introduced in 1983 and were languishing.
1984 Case introduces a new line of 94 series 4WD tractors, including the most powerful unit the company has ever produced, the 4994.
1985 The legacies of J.I. Case and Cyrus McCormick are united in one brand: Case IH. The new organization becomes the second largest farm equipment manufacturer, and the combination provides a broadened product line and a greatly expanded dealer organization.
Case shut down its own factories for the start of 1985, reducing production to 45 percent of retail sales, and went on to close several Brown plants, and to retire the oldest and least efficient of Case’s home plants.
Case acquired International Harvester’s production facilities, product line, and distribution system in 1985.
1986 Steiger joins the growing Case IH offering.
Losses in 1986 were down to $1 million, despite the deepening farm recession.
1987: sale of house, $90,000 “1st Floor laundry and family room plus all the charm of the big living room with fireplace.
About 35 new agricultural products were introduced in 1987, while nine factories were closed or closing.
Nevertheless, Tenneco was unhappy with Case’s bad financial showing and unacceptably tardy production in 1987.
1988 Case IH launches the Magnum tractor – the first all-new machine to come from the combined engineering of Case and International Harvester.
Case was assisted by Fortune’s listing of its combines, planters, and loader backhoes as among the best United States products in 1988.
1989 Case IH introduces the Maxxum tractor, a powerful, versatile and economical multi-purpose tractor which stands out for its performance, maneuverability and serviceability.
By 1989, Case had gone from a $142 million loss to a record profit of $228 million.
The horse was inducted into the Trotting Horse Museum Hall of Fame in 1990.
In the fourth quarter of 1990, Case’s earnings were off by nearly $100 million and the year ended with a $42 million decline in operating profits.
Case ended 1991 with a $618 million operating loss.
Case had become a serious problem for Tenneco when Robert J. Carlson assumed the presidency in 1991.
1992 Case IH celebrates its 150th anniversary serving the agriculture industry.
Talk of further reducing the workforce by 4,000 employees started in 1992, when Edward J. Campbell assumed the presidency of Case.
The farm economy appeared to have stabilized at the end of 1992, but construction equipment sales were sluggish.
Sales of farm equipment were up by the summer of 1993, especially large tractor sales.
1995 Case IH adds the innovative Austoft sugar cane harvester to its line which improves the efficiency and safety of harvesting cane.
1997 The amazing Steiger Quadtrac tractor is introduced.
1998 Business Week magazine names the Case IH MX Series Magnum tractor new product of the year, in its 10th anniversary year.
2003: sale of house $155,000
2003 The company announces the return of the Farmall brand name with introduction of the new D and DX series tractors.
2006 Case IH announces the Case IH Module Express 625 which is the first commercial cotton picker with the ability to build modules while harvesting.
In 2006, Frank and his son Michael established a new company in China, built a factory in Shenzhen and began to service the growing food service industry throughout the Pacific Rim.
2009 Case IH launches continuously variable transmission (CVT) technology on tractors.
2012 Case IH celebrates 25 years of the Magnum tractor.
2013 Case IH celebrates the 90 year anniversary of the introduction of the Farmall tractor, and the change in agriculture industry that resulted from it.
2014 The Case IH Steiger tractor is voted “Machine of the Year XXL 2014” at Agritechnica in Hanover, Germany.
Following this success, the Magnum was awarded “Machine of the Year 2015” at SIMA in Paris.
"J. I. Case Company ." International Directory of Company Histories. . Retrieved April 15, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/j-i-case-company
Rate how well JI Companies lives up to its initial vision.
JI Companies jobs
Do you work at JI Companies?
Is JI Companies' vision a big part of strategic planning?
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of JI Companies, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about JI Companies. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at JI Companies. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by JI Companies. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of JI Companies and its employees or that of Zippia.
JI Companies may also be known as or be related to J I Special Risks Insurance, JI Companies and The JI Cos.