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RubbermaidCommercial history
RubbermaidCommercial company history timeline
Noble also placed a heavy emphasis on new product development, evidenced by the objective he set in 1968 that aimed to have 30 percent of total annual sales come from products introduced over the preceding five years.
In 1968 Newell purchased a majority interest in Mirra-Cote Industries, a manufacturer of plastic bath accessories.
From bath mats to BRUTE containers to the first resin molded mop bucket, a lot has happened since 1968, but our commitment to manufacturing excellence has never wavered.
RCP became a separate entity from Rubbermaid, Inc. in 1968.
In 1969 Newell acquired Dorfile Manufacturing Company, a maker of household shelving, and E.H. Tate Company, which brought the "Bulldog" line of picture hanging hardware into the Newell line of products.
In 1970 the company was reincorporated in Delaware as Newell Companies, Inc.
In 1971 Rubbermaid began to market its products through direct supermarket retail distribution.
1972: Newell goes public.
By March 1973 Newell had ousted the EZ Paintr board and Daniel Ferguson had become president of the company, which yielded complete control of its stock to Newell six months later.
Although initially profitable, this practice resulted in the company running afoul of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 1973.
Although the rubber dustpan, designed and manufactured by Caldwell and his wife, cost $1.00— much more than the 39-cent metal pans then available in stores—Caldwell "rang ten doorbells and sold nine dustpans," as he recalled in an interview published in the New York Times on May 19, 1974.
As part of its continued growth, Rubbermaid opened a new plant in La Grange, Georgia, in 1974, to relieve demand on its main Ohio plant and to supply the automotive-products division.
By 1974 industrial and commercial products provided 25 percent of the company’s sales.
In 1974 Newell completed another drawn-out acquisition and purchased complete control of Mirra-Cote.
Rubbermaid discontinued its minimum price agreements with wholesalers and retailers in 1975, citing pending legislation and negative public opinion.
In 1975 Leonard Ferguson died and a descendant of Ben Cuthbert, William R. Cuthbert, was later named chairman.
Nevertheless, the party plan was not profitable until 1976.
The company experienced labor unrest in 1976, when 1,100 members of the United Rubber Workers called a strike at Rubbermaid’s only unionized plant, in Wooster, Ohio, after rejecting a proposed contract.
Campanella, Frank W., “Wide and Growing Line Spurs Rubbermaid Gains,” Barren’s, October 3, 1977.
In May 1978 Newell acquired 24 percent of the financially troubled BernzOmatic Corporation, a manufacturer of propane torches and other do-it-yourself hand tools.
In June 1979, after coming off of its first $100 million sales year, Newell began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Noble retired in 1980, and Stanley C. Gault took over as chairman.
1980: Acquires Carlan, owner of Con-Tact plastic coverings brand
In the 1980’s, RCP pioneered the development of high performance industrial, cleaning and agricultural products, and solidified a market leadership position that would remain in place for years to come.
In 1981 Rubbermaid had made its first outright acquisition, buying privately held Carian, owner of the Con-Tact plastic coverings brand name.
Yao, Margaret, “Rubbermaid Reaches for Greater Glamour in World Beyond Dustpans and Drainers,” Wall Street Journal, June 9,1982.
The company was named to the Fortune 500 list in 1983, and the following years became one of Fortune 500s most admired companies.
The purchase also led to the creation of Rubbermaid Specialty Products Inc. in Statesville, N.C., in 1983.
Rubbermaid acquired Little Tikes Company, a manufacturer of children's backyard toys, in 1984.
In May 1985 the company changed its name to Newell Co.
In addition, the company expanded its capacity in plastic and rubber products in 1985 with its purchase of the Gott Corporation, which makes insulated coolers and beverage holders.
1985: Acquires Gott Corporation, maker of insulated coolers and beverage holders
1986: Acquires MicroComputer Accessories, maker of items like multi-form printer feeders and computer desks, and Seco Industries, maker of floor care products
Although the strike eventually was settled amicably, traditionally, the company has sought to minimize union activity by building plants outside union strongholds, in places such as Arizona, where it began construction of a plant near Phoenix in 1987 to serve its western markets.
In 1987 a seasonal products division was formed to produce and sell lawn and garden products, sporting goods, and automotive accessories.
A GE alum like Gault, Fowler was reportedly told by the board of directors in 1987 that he wouldn't be allowed to step in as CEO when Gault left.
1987: Acquires Viking Brush of Canada, maker of commercial brushes
Rubbermaid formed a joint venture with a French company, Allibert, to manufacture plastic outdoor furniture in North Carolina in 1989.
In 1989 Newell unsuccessfully tried to buy a 20-plus percent investment in Vermont American, a maker of consumer and industrial tools that turned to another suitor after suggesting Newell would be a disruptive force in its operations.
The earnings figure was more than four and a half times the level of 1989, while sales had more than tripled during the same period.
Rubbermaid formed a second joint venture—with the Curver Group, owned by Dutch chemical maker DSM—in 1990 to make and sell housewares and resin furniture in European, Middle Eastern, and north African markets through Curver-Rubbermaid.
The following year the company created an office products division, which included MicroComputer Accessories and—eventually—Eldon Industries, acquired in 1990.
Attempting to once again piggyback on a growing mass merchandiser market--namely the trend to sell office supplies through mass retailers--in 1991 Newell entered the office products business by acquiring two small firms, Keene Manufacturing, Inc., and W.T. Rogers Company.
In a 1992 changing-of-the-guard, Daniel Ferguson bowed out of active management to move up to chairman, replacing the retiring William Cuthbert, and Thomas A. Ferguson (no relation to Daniel and Leonard Ferguson) was named president.
As of 1993, Rubbermaid generated only 11 percent of its sales outside the United States, and almost all of that went to Canada.
Finally, a permanent replacement was found in 1993 with Wolfgang R. Schmitt, who had been at the company for just under three decades.
Despite being named America's most admired company by Fortune magazine in 1993, the struggles it faced meant it would not survive as an independent entity for much longer.
Farnham, Alan. "America's Most Admired Company." Fortune, February 7, 1994.
In a similar move, the office products operations were bolstered through the October 1994 purchase of Faber-Castell Corporation, which specialized in pencils and rolling-ball pens under the Eberhard Faber and Uni-Ball names.
Revenues in 1994 for Holson Burnes totaled $130 million.
In the spring of 1994 the prices of resins, used in nearly all of the company's products, began to rise and eventually doubled, increasing manufacturing costs.
Newell also gained a stronger position in writing instruments by purchasing Berol Corporation in November 1995.
Also in 1995 the company bought 75 percent of Dom-Plast S.A., the leading maker of plastic household products in Poland.
The process they set out would take two years to implement and commenced in 1995, the same year the operation's factories achieved ISO:9001 certification.
1995: Acquires French plastics manufacturer Injectaplastic S.A. to get back into the European market after dissolution of Curver deal, and a 75 percent share in Dom-Plast S.A., the leader in plastic household products in Poland
Meantime, despite the major restructuring launched in late 1995, Rubbermaid was still struggling.
Wooster, OH: Wooster Book Co., 1996.
Savings of $335 million, the result of a project to streamline production, were realized in 1996.
By 1996 foreign sales were up to 16 percent of overall sales, a rate of increase that, if continued, would mean the company would fall well short of its 30 percent goal.
Further, the company sold its office products division to Newell Inc. in May 1997 for $246.5 million.
1997: Strategic alliance with Amway Corporation to develop cobranded premium products
Rubbermaid also completed one more acquisition in 1998--its last as an independent company--purchasing Century Products Company from Wingate Partners for $77.5 million. As a result, yet another restructuring was announced in January 1998.
1998: Makes last acquisition as an independent company, as it buys Century Products, maker of car seats, strollers, and infant carriers
In April 1999 the company bought Ateliers 28, a French maker of drapery hardware.
The first cuts came just months after the merger was made official, with 520 employees cut in May 1999.
In 1999, the Newell Company, with headquarters in Freeport, Illinois, purchased Rubbermaid Incorporated.
The Gillette division had posted revenues of $743 million in 1999.
Galli had previously spent 19 years at Black & Decker, where he rose to the number two position before leaving in 1999.
Soon after, at the beginning of November 2000, McDonough resigned from the company.
In 2000, the group bought the stationery products business of Gillette, which brought well-known brand names like Paper Mate, Parker, Waterman, and Liquid Paper into the fold.
Schmitt aimed to increase nondomestic sales to 25 percent by 2000 (later, this goal was boosted to 30 percent) and began to seek out acquisition and joint venture opportunities to help reach this goal.
In May 2001 the company announced that it would eliminate 3,000 positions from its workforce over a three-year period, a reduction of 6 percent.
21, 2001, rating action from Moody's downgraded both the long-term and short-term debt of the venture, while also giving it a negative outlook.
2001: Joseph Galli, Jr., comes onboard as president and CEO and launches a thorough restructuring.
In April 2002, however, the company took full control of American Tool Companies, Inc., a Hoffman Estates, Illinois, firm in which Newell Rubbermaid had already held a 49.5 percent stake.
Perhaps the most compelling reason for optimism was that, through the renewed focus on product development, more new products were introduced during 2002 than had debuted in the three previous years combined.
2002: The company acquires American Tool Companies, Inc., maker of hand tools and power tool accessories.
Some of Rubbermaid's manufacturing line was moved to Mexico, and in November 2003 Newell Rubbermaid Incorporated announced that it was pulling its operations out of Wooster, ending Rubbermaid's long relationship with that community.
29, 2003 Update from Moody's in regards to restructuring
2003: Acquires American Saw & Manufacturing Company, maker of Lenox brand of linear edge power tool accessories, hand tools, and band saw blades
The rise of the box store would take the company from selling to thousands of retailers individually to getting two-thirds of its volume from a handful of them, Schmitt would later recall on a 2004 episode of the PBS newsmagazine Frontline.
Company named America’s most admired by Fortune magazine New York Times report on leadership changes Transcript of PBS Frontline, 2004 "Wal-Mart's Influence Grows," USA Today, Jan.
2005: Acquires Dymo, maker of on-demand labeling solutions
2006: Acquires CardScan business card scanners
2007: Acquires Internet postage company Endicia and its Picture-it-Postage brand
2008: Acquires Technical Concepts, maker of public restroom equipment, and Aprica Kassai, Japanese maker of strollers, car seats, and other children's products
The company embarked on further cost-cutting restructuring in 2011, combining its three operating groups into two – one for commercial products and the other for consumer goods.
To address that, current President and CEO Michael B. Polk announced the "Growth Game Plan" in 2011, a long-term proposal to grow profitability.
The company announced in late 2011 that it would also close the distribution center, ending nearly 100 years of manufacturing in Wooster.
That number represents an increase of 5.4 percent, from $21.9 million to $36.2 million, in operational income compared to the same period in 2013.
2014: Acquires bubba brands, maker of reusable drinkware
CNBC report on Q1 2014 sales
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RubbermaidCommercial competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leggett & Platt | 1883 | $4.4B | 20,000 | 114 |
| Burt's Bees | 1984 | $270.0M | 450 | 2 |
| Crane Co. | 1855 | $1.5B | 11,000 | 231 |
| Avery Dennison | 1935 | $8.8B | 32,000 | 276 |
| Tacony | 1946 | $217.0M | 650 | 8 |
| O-I Glass | 1929 | $6.5B | 25,000 | 23 |
| Parker Hannifin | 1917 | $19.9B | 57,170 | 584 |
| Ferro | 1919 | $1.1B | 4,846 | - |
| SPX | 1912 | $2.0B | 6,000 | 152 |
| Carlisle FoodService Products | 1955 | $230.0M | 800 | - |
RubbermaidCommercial history FAQs
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