SCOTT MANUFACTURING history

Scott worked at a seed elevator for four years before purchasing his own business, a hardware store, in 1870.

Founded in 1906, Strong-Scott Manufacturing provided continuous thermal, milling, and mixing equipment into a variety of industries.

The employees of 1913 would be astounded and amazed at Scott’s accomplishments.

The company made its first commercial sale to Long Island, New York's Brentwood golf course in 1916.

By 1921, Scotts seeded one-fifth of America's golf courses.

The company launched its own promotional magazine, Lawn Care, in 1928 as well.

As the southern representative of Motor Specialities, J & A P Scott expanded the parts department and in 1938 opened a branch in Invercargill.

In 1950, Stern and Hagedorn launched a partnership to market the fertilizer, which adman Hagedorn dubbed Stern's Miracle-Gro.

In 1956, the company used new chemical products and processes to create a new Turf Builder formulation that weighed less than the original, smelled better, and was gentler to grasses.

One far-reaching move was the decision in 1962 to buy the long-established Christchurch engineering firm of Penfolds, thus laying the foundation for the present operation focusing on building automated production line equipment.

In 1965 Gerald Scott incorporated Scott Handling Manufacturing Company with the vision of one day becoming the global leader in providing innovative and cost effective material handling solutions to a variety of industries.

Then, in 1971, O.M. Scott & Sons was acquired by ITT Corp.'s Harold Geneen, who reportedly snapped up the profitable firm after a 15-minute analysis of its balance sheet.

Seitz led a highly leveraged buyout of the company in 1986.

Scotts debt was reduced to $125 million by the fall of 1988, when a restructuring allowed the $111 million acquisition of Hyponex Corp.

In 1990, Scotts formed a partnership with Sandoz Crop Protection Corp. to research and develop biological pesticides using insect viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and plant extracts.

The lawn care company went public in 1992 as The Scotts Company, selling 12.5 million shares at $19 each, using the proceeds to cut debt to just $32 million.

The public offering also helped Scotts sever its ties to investment bank Clayton Dubilier through a 1993 stock repurchase.

With sales of over $466 million that fiscal year, Scotts negotiated the purchase of Grace-Sierra Horticultural Products Co. in 1994.

Some of this growth came from acquisitions, including the 1995 purchase of Stern's (now Scott's) Miracle-Gro Products, Inc.

Early in 1996, Horace Hagedorn and the Scotts board of directors ousted CEO Theodore Host barely 11 months after he had taken office.

The slowdown in the American economy in 2001 was the catalyst for Scott to diversify.

Rocklabs was acquired in July 2008.

During the global financial crisis of 2009, Scott continued to invest heavily in research and development in all areas of the business.

A key supplier of reference materials to the Rocklabs business was acquired in November 2010.

75% of a Chinese manufacturing facility was acquired in September 2011, enabling us to take advantage of opportunities within the Chinese and wider Asian markets.

Based in Marion, Ohio, USA, specializing in the trade and integration of new and used robots, parts and robotic systems was acquired in May 2014, enabling Scott to significantly grow its presence in its key North American market.

In 2016 JBS - the second-largest food company in the world - became a majority shareholder of Scott.

In mid-2017 Scott purchased DC Ross, a local Dunedin business that is a world leader in fine blanking technology.

In 2019, Scott acquired Normaclass, a french company that provides beef grading technology with extensive installations in Europe and Uruguay.