It used to be the old hand pump was the way to bring
water up from under the ground. Franklin Electric has considerably improved on this method. World War II
was still raging both in Europe and the Pacific in November 1944, when Franklin Electric was founded in
Bluffton, Indiana, by E. J. (Ed) Schaefer and T. W. (Wayne) Kehoe of Fort Wayne, Indiana. These two men,
after successful careers in industry as electrical engineers, were convinced that they could develop a
successful business by mass-producing small electric motors custom-designed for the specific needs of
individual customers. |
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 The
partners also had to decide upon a name for the company at this time. They had visions of national growth
and decided against using their own names. The name finally picked was, of course, FRANKLIN ELECTRIC
COMPANY, after Benjamin Franklin, who could be considered our nation's first electrical engineer. The
company was organized by Ed and Wayne, in partnership with their wives, with capital of less than $20,000. |
| When the company started in November,
1944, during World War II, there was little civilian market for electric motors and the only significant
customer was the armed forces. Franklin's first product sold was a lightweight electric generator used by
the armed services during World War II to power portable signaling equipment. The generator was part of a
22-pound backpack generator set for powering radios of paratroopers and other assault troops. The
lightweight gasoline engine driving the generator was made by the Jacobsen Manufacturing Company of
Racine, Wisconsin, better known to most of us for making lawn mowers and snow blowers. |
| The first sale was for prototype
generators, which sold for $1,117.12. This occurred about two and one-half months after the company was
formed. In the next four months, sales of generators reached $228,219. Production of generators continued
until VJ Day in August 1945. Production during 1945 consisted entirely of generators for the Army Signal
Corps. When the war ended in August, regular orders for generators ceased, although some generators would
be built in later years. Everyone was, of course, glad the conflict was over, but conversion to a
peacetime economy and new products was not easy for a struggling new company. |
| Market opportunities soon after the war
caused Franklin to enter the electric motor market. Franklin designed, developed and started production of
a line of fractional horsepower motors for domestic water system pump applications. In 1947, sales
amounted to almost $1.7 million and net profits totaled about $250,000.
1940s
1950s 1960s 1970s
1980s 1990s
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