Motion Celebrates 75 Years

Motion Industries Inc., Birmingham, AL, a leading distributor of maintenance, repair, and operation replacement parts, and provider of industrial technology solutions is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

“Motion’s success is a reflection of the hard work of all our team members and suppliers, as well as the trust of our customers, since our founding in 1946,” said Randy Breaux, Motion President. “We appreciate the support of everyone who has played a role in our proud history and look forward to exponentially building on our success during the next 75 years and beyond.”

In 1946, the year following the end of World War II, two friends—a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a U.S. Navy veteran—purchased the industrial parts supply business Owen-Richards and opened its first location in Birmingham. Over the years, the company expanded beyond Birmingham, first regionally and then nationally, and finally into Canada and other countries.

“Employees would grow in number from the first handful to more than 7,000 employees throughout these global locations. Sales would grow from $500,000 to more than $5.5 billion annually,” stated Breaux.

Service offerings have also vastly expanded over time from mainly power-transmission parts sales to a wide and deep variety of product lines, services, and technologies that are used every day across diverse industry markets.

In 2021, Motion is focused on key technological investments and the expansion of its services to directly benefit its customers. Technology investments will support enhanced automation in the company’s facilities. In addition, a world-class hydraulics facility is under construction near Motion headquarters and scheduled to open in the fourth quarter. Expanded services in areas such as the Automation Solutions and Conveyance Solutions business units are also a priority, as is the Company’s P²MRO IIoT solution.

Today, the Motion team takes deep pride in keeping industry’s operations and machinery running in continuous motion. Coinciding with this 75th milestone, in January 2021, the Company announced a comprehensive rebrand from “Motion Industries” to “Motion,” with the intent to solidify the company’s structure and advance its position in the marketplace.