Unarco Material Handling, Inc.

UNARCO was established in 1955 in Blue Island, Illinois producing Sturdi-Bilt, the industry’s premier pallet rack. Four years later amid growing union issues in the Chicago suburb, UNARCO moved the plant to its current location in Springfield, Tennessee. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, UNARCO expanded its manufacturing line to include dock levelers and other storage solutions for the warehouse and material handling industry. Offices were opened in Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Jersey and Atlanta.

In 1980 UNARCO invented and patented the T-Bolt connection for pallet rack, the industry’s sole front-end only bolted application. UNARCO further established itself as a leader in engineered systems for warehouses throughout the 1980’s and was instrumental in shaping the carton flow and pallet rack module industry. In 1993 UNARCO purchased Real-Time Solutions, the manufacturer of automated pick-to-light order picking systems and later sold it to FKI.

In 1995, UNARCO was purchased by their present owner, The Renco Group, a private investment company headquartered in Rockefeller Center. With added capital UNARCO expanded the plant, added two multi-million dollar powder coat paint lines and overhauled all milling equipment. In 1997, UNARCO introduced the SuperPost tubular column upright with capacities of up to 40% greater than same gauge open-back frames. UNARCO developed RhinoTrac full-width carton flow in 2002 and began manufacturing heavy-duty carton flow conveyor products of all sizes. With this product line, UNARCO became the first in the industry to manufacture and ship full-width carton flow with pallet rack as a complete project solution.

In March of 2007, UNARCO acquired Kingway, Inca, Clymer with plants in Lewisville, Texas and Pandora, Ohio. Inca, which started as a metal stamping operation under the name National Metal products, had roots dating back to 1934. They later began manufacturing household storage cabinets and production was further expanded to include the manufacture of lockers, workbenches and missile containers. Inca moved the plant in 1967 to its current location in Lewisville, Texas. In 1999 Inca merged with The Kingway Company (est. 1962) and began operation by manufacturing metal cast and fabricated components for cars and light trucks. One year prior to the Kingway acquisition, Inca purchased Clymer Enterprises, Inc. Clymer, founded in 1937, had achieved recognition in the manufacture of quality commercial farming equipment and support equipment through its Clark Agricultural Equipment division. In 1984 the plant introduced Clymer cantilever and pallet racks, and began full-scale production in Pandora, Ohio. All product lines are still manufactured there today.

The combined forces of UNARCO, Kingway, Inca and Clymer, strengthened by a rich history, have shaped the material handling industry that we know today. In addition to multiple convenient shipping points across the United States, the joined company has production capabilities which exceed 20 million pounds per month with over a million square feet of manufacturing space. The UNARCO of today produces the broadest storage product offering in America including pallet rack, structural rack, pick modules, push back, drive-in, pallet flow and cantilever rack. No other company in America manufactures such high quality warehouse storage solutions. Product breadth combined with the flexibility not found in other large pallet racking manufacturers firmly establishes UNARCO’s position as the premier supplier of material handling solutions. UNARCO has structured its customer service and manufacturing facilities to LISTEN to customers’ needs, responding with custom designs and smarter solutions enabled by over fifty years of industry experience.