December 2020, Power-Packer celebrates 50 years of Innovation and Growth. Since its humble beginnings as a division of Applied Power, Power-Packer has continued to seize new opportunities to evolve through innovations of the hydraulic position and motion controls systems. “Over the past five decades, Power-Packer has grown to become a global hydraulic position and motion control leader. Our products are used for tilting, leveling, latching, lifting and stabilizing systems, all used in some of today’s most demanding markets,” states CentroMotion CEO, Roger Roundhouse. “Power-Packer is an exemplary illustration of the subject matter expertise, application and category knowledge, innovation, global presence, and customer commitment that have become the standard for all the CentroMotion brands.”
50 Years of Growth Built on Innovation
Power-Packer’s product inception started in the late 1920s, when its first hydraulic system, under the brand Blackhawk, was installed in a line of snowplows, eliminating the need to raise and lower the plow with a manual hand winch. The Blackhawk company quickly realized the value that hydraulics could bring to several other applications for tools to be used in industrial and construction applications. They spent the next 40 years focusing on these products and would come to be known as Applied Power in 1961. At this juncture, Power-Packer was a division of Applied Power, primarily focused on hydraulic products for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In 1970, when Applied Power wanted to expand geographically, Power-Packer officially became a separate company, with headquarter in the Netherlands. Shortly after launching, the Power-Packer brand began its expansion by creating manufacturing facilities in France, Korea, Turkey, Brazil, and China. Along with establishing new global facilities, the company’s product offerings continued to grow by innovating new products in regenerative hydraulic lost motion (RHLM) for cab tilt systems, high-pressure hydraulics for convertible rooftops, c-hydraulic lost motion (CHLM) for cab tilt systems, self-contained hydraulic actuators, hydraulic solutions for patient handling, and the next generation modular pumps for convertible rooftops.
Today, Power-Packer’s 600 employees serve more than 100 global customers with two headquarters, eight manufacturing facilities, and seven sales locations. With more than 100 patents to its name to-date, the Power-Packer brand continues to thrive. Add in the deep engineering expertise in rotational motion, hydraulic actuation, and mobile control and automation systems, and you begin to see why innovation has been at the forefront of this company.
Golden Anniversary Celebrated Globally
In honor of a half-century of success, Power-Packer teams worldwide will be celebrating the company’s achievements. “A long legacy of talented and passionate employees’ collective efforts have enabled Power-Packer to become the worldwide leader it is today,” states Roundhouse. “We could never have accomplished so much in the last 50 years without our dedicated people, both past and present. They have been an integral component of Power-Packer’s ability to adapt and innovate, and they are the reason our customers look to work with us today. We’ve chosen to delay our celebration of this momentous occasion until after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, so that we can truly celebrate this milestone together.”
Roundhouse also recognizes that without Power-Packer’s customers, who entrust their products to the Power-Packer team, the last 50 years would not have been possible. “We also thank our customers and suppliers that have been essential partners in our successful journey together. We have had a fantastic 50 years, and we are looking forward to celebrating the continued legacy of Power-Packer!”
