Eimco Corporation

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The Rosenblatt Family

(The Eimco name was derived from "Eastern Iron and Metal Company," with Rosenblatt saying when he started his company, nobody would buy from any company with "Western" in its name, so he called his company "Eastern" which sounded more important. - Salt Lake Tribune, March 17, 1991)

The Rosenblatt family (Nathan and his three sons, Simon, Morris and Joseph) were pioneers in the early iron and steel manufacturing industry in Utah, having organized the Utah Junk in 1899, Utah Steel in 1915, American Foundry and Machine in 1913. In 1918 the family organized the Eastern Iron and Metal company, which became EIMCO in 1935. Rosenblatt came to Utah in 1885 at age 19 and worked for the Utah Junk House company in 1892, using a hand cart to gather scrap metal and rags. He bought out the partners in 1897, and incorporated the Utah Junk company in 1899. His sons joined the successful business as it grew, and after World War I he saw a need to process scrap iron and steel into marketable products and subsidiary companies to further develop the iron and steel business in Utah.

In the period of the 1890s until 1957, when the Rosenblatt family sold its control and majority interest in EIMCO, the Rosenblatts controlled and operated several iron and steel enterprises in Utah, starting with the Utah Junk company.

Eimco Corporation (1935-1982)

- Eastern Iron and Metal Corporation (1918-1935)

- EIMCO (1935-1982)

The five locations of Eimco in Salt Lake City were:

(The Eimco name was derived from "Eastern Iron and Metal Company," with Rosenblatt saying when he started his company, nobody would buy from any company with "Western" in its name, so he called his company "Eastern" which sounded more important. - Salt Lake Tribune, March 17, 1991)

(Eastern Iron & Metal Company formally changed its name to EIMCO in 1935.)

January 26, 1935
"The EIMCO Corporation, formerly Eastern Iron & Metal Co., Manufacturers of Mining and Milling Machinery, 634 South Fourth West." (Salt Lake Tribune, January 26, 1935)

(The newspaper advertisements specifically for Eastern Iron & Metal ended in late December 1935.)

The 1935 reorganization of the Eastern Iron & Metal company was in response to the very successful Eimco Model 12B and 20 "Rocker Shovel," rail-mounted loaders operated by compressed air and used in narrow underground tunnels to scoop rock and dump it into waste-rock or "muck" cars. John S. Finlay was awarded U. S. Patent 1906001 on April 25, 1933, having applied for the patent on February 23, 1932.

(Read more about the Eimco-Finlay Loader, along with the other major products built by Eimco in Salt Lake City)

December 21, 1935
"Eastern Iron & Metal Co., New And Used Mining Machinery, Mining Supplies. Eastern Iron & Metal Co., 634 So. 4th West." (Deseret News, December 21, 1935)

By 1938, Morris Rosenblatt was general manager of Eimco, and vice president of both American Foundry and Machine company, and Structural Steel and Forge company. Nathan Rosenblatt was president of all three companies. By April 1942, the three companies were advertised as being part of "The Eimco Group." (Deseret News, May 19, 1938; Salt Lake Tribune, May 1, 1941; April 2, 1942)

January 25, 1942
From the Salt Lake Tribune, January 25, 1942.

In Salt Lake City the Eimco corporation and the affiliated American Foundry and Machine company and the Structural Steel and Forge company, as well as the Steel Engineers company and other local and out-of-the-state concerns offer unsurpassed facilities in the supplying of mining equipment, castings, structural steel, and like products.

American Foundry & Machine specialized in gray iron, brass, bronze and aluminum castings, but with a special focus on heat-treated electric furnace steel castings.

Structural Steel & Forge specialized in fabricating structural steel shapes, plates and sheets, producing trusses, beams, bins, and tanks.

Eimco Corporation specialized in engineering, machine shop and assembling a wide range of mining and industrial equipment.

Eimco products have found their way into every quarter of the globe where mines are operated. The rapid advance of the corporation to its present position as an internationally-known manufacturer of mining, metallurgical and industrial equipment has been achieved very largely by a consistent policy of providing competent engineers and executives with efficient manufacturing facilities. Many of its products are being used today in mines and plants producing essential defense materials.

Eimco's products included the following:

Eimco-Finlay Mine-Car Loaders. - Originated in Utah and manufactured exclusively by the Eimco Corporation for nearly ten years, the Eimco-Finlay Loader is the most efficient and economical machine ever developed for loading broken-down rock or ore into mine cars. Mining companies have found these machines the only practicable means of speeding up their underground operations.

Eimco Continuous-Vacuum Filters. - Widely used in the mining, metallurgical and chemical processing industries for washing and dewatering pulps, slimes, sludges, and slurries.

Super-Molychrome Jaw Plates And Liners. - Used in ball, rod or tube mills. Made of super-hard moly-chrome steel, Eimco Super-Moly-chrome Jaw Plates and Liners last much longer than any other known material.

Other Important Eimco Products. - Used in many essential industries, include Jaw Crushers; Ball, Rod and Tube Mills; Agitators; Thickeners; Classifiers; Diaphragm Pumps; Electric Mine Hoists; Belt-Type Ore Feeders, etc.

February 16, 1946
Nathan Rosenblatt passed away at age 79. He was president of the three companies that he had founded: Eimco Corp., American Foundry and Machine, and Structural Steel and Forge. He was born in May 1866 in Russia, and came to the United States [in 1885] at age 19. (Salt Lake Tribune, February 17, 1946)

January 18, 1948
From the Salt Lake Tribune, January 18, 1948.

Eimco's foundry melts 300 tons of scrap and pig iron weekly, and will double this with installation of a new furnace if sufficient scrap can be obtained.

Their rocker shovel is standard mining equipment the world over, and their steel castings are widely used in ball mill linings grinding abrasive materials. Cast steel flanges are installed in numerous high octane gasoline refineries. Cane sugar factories in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, South America and the southern states use their cane mud filters, while the beet sugar industry from the Pacific coast to Michigan operates with their special filtering equipment.

A folding scraper for use in mines, new loading machines for highway builders, and improved railway tunnel construction equipment will expand production in Eimco plants.

January 21, 1948
Simon Rosenblatt passed away. In memory, the three companies (Eimco Corp., American Foundry and Machine, and Structural Steel and Forge), were closed all day on January 23rd. (Salt Lake Tribune, May 23, 1948)

May 1, 1951
Eimco took possession of the D&RGW steam locomotive erecting shop in Salt Lake City. The sale was announced on April 20, 1951. The purchase included 200,000 square feet of shop space, along with all equipment, such as lathes, cranes, rolls, shears and derricks. D&RGW announced that after the sale, all steam locomotive repair work would be done in the railroad's Salt Lake City roundhouse. (Salt Lake Tribune, April 21, 1951)

January 20, 1954
Eimco introduced its Model 105 tractor-loader-dozer. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 20, 1954)

(Read more about the Model 105, along with the other major products built by Eimco in Salt Lake City)

In 1954, the Rosenblatts operated the largest electric steel casting plant between Chicago and the West Coast. Their steel plants included American Foundry and Machine company, and Structural Steel and Forge company, and Eimco. (Deseret News, May 12, 1954)

Ogden Corporation (1957)

(The Ogden Corporation was listed on the New York Stock Exchange as early as November 1947)

October 1, 1957
Eimco of Utah was sold to a new company, Eimco of Delaware, which was a merger of Eimco of Utah, and the Ogden Corporation, a diversified holding company, along with a major investment interest of Allen & Company, an investment bank in New York City. Included in the sale were other Rosenblatt interests in Utah: American Foundry and Machine company, and Structural Steel and Forge company. The Rosenblatt family continued to hold a majority interest in the new Eimco company. (Salt Lake Tribune, October 1, 1957)

October 1, 1957
Summarized from the Salt Lake Tribune, October 1, 1957.

Eimco Corp., the worldwide machinery firm controlled by Salt Lake City’s Rosenblatt family, has merged with New York investment banker Allen & Co. and Ogden Corp., a diversified producer with over $500 million in yearly sales. The deal creates a new Eimco of Delaware corporation and includes a major expansion of the Utah manufacturing operations.

The Rosenblatt family—led by Joseph and Morris Rosenblatt—received $10 million in cash and Ogden Corp. stock. Financially, Ogden’s 1956 net sales were $597.7 million with profits of $6.66 million, while Eimco had $14.5 million in sales but earned $1.5 million—about 10% of sales. Eimco’s research strength was key to the merger.

According to the secretary of state's office, the old Utah Eimco Corp. was renamed Jomar Industries, while the new Delaware firm takes the Eimco name. Joseph Rosenblatt, in New York finalizing details, assured employees: "There will be absolutely no change in management or personnel." He noted the consolidation of American Foundry & Machine Co., Structural Steel & Forge Co., and all overseas subsidiaries.

New corporate officers include Joseph Rosenblatt as president; George M. Duff (Allen & Co.) as vice president; James W. Deer (Ogden Corp.) as secretary; and William L. Boyd (Ogden Corp.) as treasurer. Directors include Morris Rosenblatt, chief engineer Daniel M. Schwartz, overseas manager H. J. Sealwood, Charles Allen Jr., William Harter, and William White. Morris Rosenblatt clarified that Colorado Fuel & Iron was not involved.

The new Eimco of Delaware corporation will fund a very large expansion—estimated by some at over $100 million—including a new Salt Lake plant to speed production of the "105" tractor for the federal highway program.

Eimco began in 1918 as Eastern Iron & Metal Co., founded by the late Nathan Rosenblatt. In the early 1930s, it became Eimco Corp. and focused on reconditioning mining machinery, later introducing the worldwide “rocker shovel.” By 1936, it expanded into filters for nonferrous mills, later adding chemical and sewerage filter lines.

Nathan’s three sons—Simon, Morris, and Joseph—joined in the 1930s. Simon, a former president, died in 1948; his son Bernard is now traffic manager. Joseph heads Eimco and American Foundry, while Morris runs Structural Steel & Forge. Joseph’s son Norman is a salesman there, and Morris’s son Donald is chief metallurgist for American Machine.

Eimco's main U.S. facilities are in Salt Lake City, employing 1,900 people. Two years ago, it began expanding its 105 tractor line, aiming for 2,500 employees by year’s end. A new 160-by-100-foot office building, costing $250,000, is under construction.


Ogden Corporation

From the Salt Lake Tribune, October 1, 1957.

Ogden Corp. which will have a big interest in the new Eimco Corporation of Delaware was named for Ogden, Utah.

The firm was incorporated in August 1939 in a reorganization of the Utilities Power & Light Co., a Virginia firm, which found its way into the programs of financier Floyd B. Odlum and the late L. Boyd Hatch of Logan, Utah, president and former vice president respectively of Atlas Corp. Atlas Corp. no longer has any controlling interests in the firm.

In 1952, Ogden Corp. as an investment company, acquired the W. A. Chase & Son Mfg. Co., distributors of plumbing and heating supplies. In addition to W. A. Chase, other subsidiaries include: Luria Bros. & Co., which carries on world wide operations in scrap steel and iron. Teleregister Corp. operates centrally controlled electric clocks and commodity board operations. Commercial Filters Corp. makes industrial filters and filtration products for chemical, Diesel and industrial fields. In May of 1956, it acquired Syntex, S.A., producers of synthetic hormones.

June 1963
"Eimco Corporation was the world's largest manufacturer of underground rock loading equipment and also builds crawler tractors and loaders, industrial filters, water treatment equipment and mining machinery." (Spanish Fork Press, June 27, 1963)

May 1, 1964
Eimco was awarded a $9,349,985 contract from the U. S. Marine Corps to furnish 382 Model 103 crawler tractors. (Deseret News, May 1, 1964)

(1965 - An online magazine article, without showing its source, states that in 1965, Eimco discontinued its line of tractor-dozers. This is most likely an error because Eimco was in the middle of its massive contract to the Marines, and the USAID contract for countries in southeast Asia.)

(Read more about the major products built by Eimco in Salt Lake City)

March 4, 1965
The Eimco Tractor Division was set aside as its own division, with 2,000 employees. Production of 426 tractors for the U. S. Marine Corp was progressing, with tests under way. Production of tractors was separated from loaders and industrial filters. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 4, 1965)

April 3, 1965
A follow-on contract for the Marines for 423 crawler tractors, reported as being worth $10 million. (Deseret News, April 3, 1965)

November 2, 1965
From the Salt Lake Tribune, November 2, 1965.

Mitsui Ship Building & Engineering Co. has started production of tractors and mining under license from the Eimco Corp. at its Yokohama, Japan, plant. The licensing agreement was reached several years ago. The new plant was formally dedicated on Oct. 19.

The plant will serve the Far East area, Eimco Corp. Tractor models and mining equipment will be exactly like that produced at Eimco's Salt Lake City plant.

The Yokohama plant will produce up to 200 tractor units yearly as well as mining machines to meet market demand. Highly competitive production costs dictated the decision to license Mitsui instead of attempting to supply the Far Eastern market from the U.S.

August 20, 1966
Ogden Corporation was a diversified holding company. "In addition to [Eimco's] mining, tractor and filtration and water treatment plant equipment which its Salt Lake City-based subsidiary produces, Ogden Corp.'s activities also include shipbuilding, scrap iron and metal, stevedoring and marine terminal operation, food processing, demolition, heating, air conditioning and plumbing contracting and provision of equipment for hospitals and laboratories. In 1965, Ogden Corp. earned eight million dollars on sales of $503,600,000." (Salt Lake Tribune, August 20, 1966)

Envirotech (1969)

May 29, 1969
The Ogden Corp. sold Eimco to Envirotech Corporation. From the Salt Lake Tribune, May 29, 1969.

(To better serve its shareholders, the Ogden Corporation sold Eimco to Envirotech—a new company formed to combine the strengths of several equipment manufacturers. This move allowed Envirotech to take on full responsibility for delivering complete systems. The acquisition of Eimco and BSP were the initial acquisitions for the newly organized Envirotech company.)

(Eimco BSP was an operating division of the Envirotech Corporation formed in 1969. It was best known for its municipal and industrial wastewater treatment technology, including sludge incineration and physical-chemical treatment facilities.)

(Eimco-BSP was created after Envirotech acquired Bartlett-Snow-Pacific (BSP) in 1969. The division operated out of Belmont, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah.)

Eimco Corp. of Salt Lake City has been acquired by Envirotech Corp., a newly formed operating company in the environmental control field. Eimco employs 1,800 in the Salt Lake area.

Berne A. Schepman, president of Eimco, will become president and chief operating officer of Envirotech, which also acquired BSP Corp. from Bangor Punta Corp.

Eimco had been a subsidiary of The Ogden Corp., which acquired the Utah-based engineering and manufacturing firm from the Rosenblatt family in 1957.

The Processing Machinery Division of Eimco designs and manufactures pollution control equipment.

The Mining Machinery Division makes rock-loading and tunneling machines and auxiliary supporting equipment.

Ogden Corp. is receiving an undisclosed amount of cash, debentures and warrants for Eimco and thereby will participate in the success of Envirotech.

The other principal operating company of Envirotech — BSP — is headquartered in Brisbane, Calif., and makes equipment for incinerating sewage sludge and filtration processes for waste material and pollution control.

Envirotech was formed by the New York assets management firm of Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, Inc.; North American Rockwell Corp. and Robert Chambers, a San Francisco industrialist. The total assets of Envirotech will be in excess of $30 million.

During the period after Eimco was sold to Envirotech, the company discontinued its manufacture of its crawler tractors, likely in the 1970-1971 time period, possibly as late as the late 1970s. (Research has not yet found the date or any documentation. The only newspaper references are in the Help Wanted classified advertisements.)

(By January 1975, about 70 percent of the production of Eimco's Mining Machinery Division, especially its various LHD underground truck, was being shipped overseas. The production capacity was at its maximum, including the pool of skilled welders and assemblers.)

May 1976
Eimco Mining Machinery Division opened a manufacturing site in Monroe, North Carolina, for the manufacture of underground mining equipment. (Charlotte News, May 10, 1976)

(This was later known as the Envirotech-Elkhorn Division.)

July 1976
Eimco Mining Machinery Division added a new parts warehouse at 537 West 6th South in Salt Lake City. (Salt Lake Tribune, July 9, 1976)

April 1977
Envirotech reorganized its Eimco properties to make the process machinery side of Eimco its own division, known as the Eimco Process Machinery Division. The new division would continue to manufacture a variety of filters, thickeners and clarifiers for industrial and municipal use. The process machinery business had long been related to Eimco BSP Division, which manufactured furnaces for incinerating industrial and municipal wastes and for industrial metallurgical applications. BSP had been part of the original creation of Envirotech in 1969. The headquarters of both the BSP Division and the new Process Machinery Division were to remain within the BSP Division headquarters in Belmont, California. The Eimco Mining Machinery Division was not affected by the reorganization. (Salt Lake Tribune, April 3, 1977)

(During this same period in 1977, there was an Eimco Coal Mining Machinery Division, headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.)

October 1978
Eimco Mining Machinery Division introduced its new 918 Load-Haul-Dump machine for underground mines at the once-every-four-years International Mining Show put on by the American Mining Congress in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Salt Lake Tribune, October 7, 1978)

Summarized from the Salt Lake Tribune, February 25, 1979.

In addition to the 918 Load-Haul-Dump machine displayed at the Las Vegas show in October, Eimco Mining Machinery Division also had on display the company's 980 T-20 Truck, its 912 Load-Haul-Dump machine, and its 950 Tender (an underground bus). All of the machines had rounded contours, rounded bumpers and extra protection to protect miners and the machine during a rock fall event. Rocks that fall would be deflected off the machine by its contoured body. All of the machine also had ergonomic controls. The show attracted 32,000 persons from 50 countries. All of the display machines were sold on the spot.

Eimco also had manufacturing facilities in Great Britain, France, South Africa, and Spain, and joint ventures in India and Japan.

(The daily Help Wanted classified advertisements for Eimco' s Mining Machinery Division ended in April 1981.)

Baker International (1982)

(In 1982 Eimco was acquired by Baker International which later merged with Hughes Tools Company in 1987 to become Baker-Hughes. Several name changes occurred with EIMCO during this time frame including; Eimco BSP, Eimco Process Equipment Company, and Baker Process.)

November 13, 1981
From the San Francisco Examiner, November 13, 1981.

Ailing Envirotech finds suitor in oil-mining concern. - Baker International Corp. of Orange County has reached an agreement in principle to acquire Envirotech Corp. of Menlo Park through a complicated exchange of stock, both companies announced today.

Baker, based in the city of Orange, is a oil drilling and mining equipment concern. Envirotech also is an equipment maker, specializing in processing and mining technologies.

The agreement is subject to approval by both companies’ boards of directors and by Envirotech’s shareholders. The companies expect to close the deal within 120 days.

Envirotech, which has been plagued with financial problems in recent years, posted a net loss of $55.98 million for its 1981 fiscal year, ending March 30, on revenues of $389.7 million. The previous year the company lost $15.1 million on revenues of $356.7 million.

Baker International consists of three subsidiaries — Baker Drilling Equipment Co., Baker Oil Tools Co. and Baker Mining Equipment Co. — that manufacture products and provide services for the petroleum and mining industries.

Envirotech has two major divisions: Eimco Mining Machinery International, which manufactures a broad range of drilling and mining equipment; and Process Equipment Group, which manufactures pumps and other equipment for processing minerals, chemicals and petroleum.

Acquisitions have played a major part in Baker’s growth, according to the Value Line Investment Survey. Over the past decade the company has taken over several tool and engineering companies. In June of this year, Baker acquired Coppinger Machinery Service of Bluefield, W. Va., a maker of mining equipment parts.

The announcement said Envirotech’s mining equipment operations would complement those of Baker’s.

November 14, 1981
From the Salt Lake Tribune, November 14, 1981.

Envirotech Corp. battered for four years by series of misfortunes in its liquid-solid separation and air pollution equipment business, may have found refuge in the arms of Baker International Corp., Orange, Calif.

Baker and the Menlo Park, Calif.-based Envirotech announced a tentative agreement to merge, subject to approval of the boards and the stockholders. If merger goes through, it would provide Baker with more Salt Lake properties.

Envirotech’s principal operations, the Eimco Mining Machinery Division and Process Machinery Division, are based in Salt Lake City and are a major employer with about 1,300 workers between them and smaller operations.

Operates Galigher Co. - A dozen years ago, Baker acquired the Salt Lake City-based Galigher Co., which employs 460. Galigher manufactures pumps, valves, flotation equipment and agitation equipment for the mining industry. It also has recently gotten into manufacture of pumps and desilter and desanding cones for the petroleum industry.

Robert L. Chambers, the 1939 University of Utah graduate who founded Envirotech in 1968, said much of Envirotech's problems resulted from high cost air pollution product plants in New York state.

However, the high costs of the New York plants subsequently imposed a severe drain on the company’s cash flow. The company also encountered other problems in that the Environmental Protection Agency's low bid requirements for communities using federal matching funds for purchase of liquid-solid separation waste plants cost the Process Machinery Division much of its place in the market.

Under industry pressure, the EPA has corrected its practices. However, Envirotech's Process Machinery Division now is only providing individual components for municipal waste water treatment plants and has abandoned what has been a costly practice of bidding for systems or components.

The result is that Process Machinery Division has been restored to profitability, he said. In the meantime, the Mining Machinery Division, upon which Eimco was founded, continues to be a profit center and the world's major manufacturer of underground loading equipment.

Eimco also operates a molded plastic components unit in Salt Lake City and a foundry.

Mr. Chambers, a co-founder of Hiller Helicopter Co. and Magna Power Tool Co., organized Envirotech in 1968, anticipating major business as communities and industries began to meet newly imposed environmental standards.

He included Eimco in the package of related properties because of its capacity in liquid-solid separation equipment. While headquarters and other facilities were in California, the Eimco plants remained the largest single complex in the Envirotech mix.

Mr. Chambers had taken retirement in 1978 when outlook for the company was bright. He was recalled, however, as chairman and chief executive officer when the company fortunes began to sag. He succeeded Berne Schepman as president last year.

March 3, 1982
Envirotech became the property of Baker International. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 12, 1982)

March 12, 1982
From the Salt Lake Tribune, March 12, 1982.

There are 225 more Utahns facing joblessness with the announcement that Envirotech Corp. of Menlo Park, Calif., will be closing its Eimco Foundry Division.

The closing, to begin April 1, was announced Thursday [March 11].

Only nine days ago [March 3] Envirotech, under severe financial stress for several months, became a property of Baker International Corp. of Orange, Calif., in a $70 million deal.

Baker's subsidiary, Baker Mining Equipment Co., said the foundry closing is for "economic reasons."

Envirotech employs about 1,500 in Salt Lake City through five divisions: Eimco Foundry, Eimco Mining Machinery, Eimco Process Machinery, Eimco Molded Products Division and Ash Molded/West (formerly Rubber Engineering and Manufacturing Co.).

As a Baker affiliate, Eimco has joined the Galigher Co. of Salt Lake City, which was acquired by Baker in 1969. Galigher, which employs 400, produces centrifugal pumps for the mining, wood pulp, petrochemical and petroleum industries.

(Baker Oil Tools had purchased Galigher in August 1969)

The foundry produced custom castings which were machined and finished into end products by the various customers. Located at 870 S. 5th West, it had been part of the Eimco units for several decades.

(This was the former American Foundry & Machine site, and the original Utah Junk location.)

The company will still continue to employ about 1,300 at the other four divisions in Salt Lake City. About 600 are employed by the Process Machinery Division and 400 by the Mining Machinery Division.

The closing is to be on a phased basis through the month of April.

March 14, 1982
Baker International announced that it would close its "Foundry Division" at the end of April 1982, putting 225 workers out of jobs. Baker International bought Envirotech, Eimco's parent company on March 2, 1982. It planned to continue the operation of Eimco Process Division and Eimco Machinery Division. (Logan Herald-Journal, March 14, 1982)

April 11, 1982
Non-Utah Eimco Locations - "WVA Mining Equipment Company Division is a part of Baker International, a major oil service and mining equipment company. WVA Mining has just merged with Eimco-Elkhorn. Eimco-Elkhorn designs and manufactures battery and diesel-powered scoops for underground mining. WVA Mining manufactures a broad line of underground equipment for transporting personnel and material, including scoops, so you can see that products by both companies complement one another, from the WVA ol'Blue to the Eimco-Elkhorn AR-4 Scoops. A word about the manufacturing facilities. Eimco-Elkhorn has plants in Monroe, North Carolina and Martin, Kentucky; and with this merger we are moving the well-known AR-4 Scoop back to Martin. Now these machines will again be Kentucky made, and again you can get service, sales and parts, direct from the Martin facility." (Knoxville News-Sentinel, April 11, 1982)

(Eimco-Elkhorn was a division of Envirotech, so Baker International's purchase of Envirotech resulted in a duplication of mining equipment manufacture and sales in the region.)

April 15, 1982
The headquarters of Eimco Mining Machinery International was moved from San Francisco to Salt Lake City. Fred Golding, formerly with J. I. Case company, was named president of the relocated company. (Salt Lake Tribune, April 15, 1982)

(Read more about Baker International at Company-Histories.com)

June 1982
Eimco closed its Mining Machinery Division during June 1982 due to a lack of business, as a result of a general slowdown in the mining industry. The closure resulted in laying off 150 workers, about 10 percent of Eimco's local work force. The declining sales of underground equipment was the result of lower mineral and metal prices, along with high financing costs caused by high interest rates. (Salt Lake Tribune, May 1, 1982)

(The actual shutdown during June 1982, affecting Mining Machinery Division production workers, also included an additional 60 engineers and office workers. The layoff resulted in Eimco retaining 375 workers in Salt Lake City, evenly split between production workers and office workers. - Salt Lake Tribune, June 5, 1982)

(There were Help Wanted classified advertisements showing the address of the Mining Machinery Division, 537 West 6th South, as late as September 1984. This was the location that built Eimco's Load-Haul-Dump underground truck.)

May 3, 1986
Eimco was ordered by the Third District Court in Salt Lake City to pay $4.8 million on a patent infringement suit filed by Amstar Corp. Eimco was found to have, in 1979, directly copied an Amstar design. (Salt Lake Tribune, May 3, 1986)

August 19, 1986
Eimco, under Baker International ownership, closed its Mining Machinery Division, located at 537 West 600 South, with its 170 workers. The Eimco Process Machinery Division (450 employees) and the Galigher BGA Division (200 employees) were to remain in operation. Eimco employed 1500 people worldwide, with sales and manufacturing locations in Great Britain, France , Italy, South Africa, Canada and Mexico, along with affiliate companies in Lebanon, Spain, Zambia, West Germany and Australia. (Salt Lake Tribune, August 19, 1986)

(This was the original Silver Brothers location until 1915, then Salt Lake Iron & Steel, 1915-1925, then Eastern Iron & Metal, 1925-1935, then Eimco after 1935.)

Baker Hughes (1987)

April 3, 1987
Baker International and Hughes Tool merged on April 3, 1987 to form the Baker Hughes, Inc.

The primary legacy and equipment lines of Eimco Process Equipment live on today under GL&V (part of the Ovivo / Aquatech group) and DBS Manufacturing, which still provide replacement parts and retrofits for legacy Eimco drive units. The BSP thermal division became BSP Thermal Systems, which continues to specialize in thermal processing equipment like multiple hearth furnaces.

The End Of EIMCO In Salt Lake City (1989-2002)

Envirotech was active in the mining business through its division, Eimco Mining Equipment Group, until 1989, when Baker Hughes sold the Division to the Finnish industrial group OY Tampella, whose Mining Equipment Division, Tamrock was the market leader with over 40 percent share internationally.

In 1992, under Tamrock ownership, Eimco closed the Salt Lake City mining equipment division and consolidated its two facilities in West Virginia, in Fairmont and Bluefield, making its headquarters in Bluefield. In 1997, Tamrock, Tampella’s successor, sold Eimco to Sandvik of Sandviken, Sweden.

(In August 2003, Sandvik Mining and Construction sold its Eimco LLC division, located in Bluefield, West Virginia, to DBT (Deutsche Bergbau-Technik), a world leader in longwall technology, supplying powered roof supports, shearers, armored face conveyors, and automated plow systems.)

"Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Baker Hughes did not hesitate to divest itself of unprofitable and/or noncore operations and to bolster the company through acquisition. In May 1989 its longtime money-losing mining equipment operation was sold to Tampella Ltd. of Finland for $155 million." (Company-Histories.com)

Throughout the 1990s, the sole remaining Eimco activity in Salt Lake City was the Process Equipment Division, located at 669 West 200 South in the former D&RGW locomotive shop. The Help Wanted classified advertisements show that the Process Equipment Division continued to hire machine operators, assemblers, welders and clerical help on two shifts. The other locations had been either closed, or used only for minor activity and storage.

(The former Galigher plant, operating as the Baker Hughes BGA International Division remained in operation until about 1993.)

April 9, 1996
Baker Hughes began another corporate reorganization that reflected the fact that most of its business was overseas in foreign markets, and that manufacturing should follow the market, mostly in South America and Asia. Of the 900 employees of the Eimco Process Equipment Division, 600 were in Salt Lake City, and any layoffs would include "only a handful" of those 600 employees. (Salt Lake Tribune, April 9, 1996)

(The Help Wanted classified advertisements for a wide variety of positions continued through mid 1998, and slowed down considerably after that, with most references only as a place holder, with not specific job or contact information. The last advertisement was on November 30, 1998. The first Eimco Baker Process advertisement was in April 2001.)

To reduce its debt load, in February 2000 Baker Hughes announced it would sell its Eimco Process Equipment Division, which had little relation to the Baker-Hughes core oil-services operations. Unable to sell it as a whole, in 2001 the Process Equipment Division was divided into three separate new companies, including BIRD Machine, Eimco Process Equipment, and a newly formed joint venture, Petreco International, which was 49 percent owned by Baker Hughes. In November 2002, Eimco was subsequently sold to Groupe Laperriere & Verreault, Inc. There were still 400 workers at the Salt Lake City plant, with 300 other persons in offices worldwide.

In November 2002, Baker Hughes sold the main assets of Eimco Process Equipment to the Canadian group GL&V for $51 million. Immediately following the buyout, GL&V began significantly downsizing the historic Salt Lake City facility. By 2003, GL&V merged the company with another division to form Dorr-Oliver Eimco USA, which resulted in a massive shift of the remaining manufacturing operations out of Utah to facilities in Canada, Mexico, and India.

November 2002
"Dorr-Oliver Eimco USA, Inc., formerly known as Eimco Process Equipment Company, was formed following a merger in November 2002 between GL&V/Dorr-Oliver and Eimco Process Equipment Company, a Division of Baker Hughes, Incorporated." (Federal Register, August 25, 2003)

November 11, 2002
From the Deseret News, November 11, 2002.

Montreal-based GL&V has closed on the acquisition of the main assets of Eimco Process Equipment Co., a Salt Lake-based division of Baker Hughes Inc., for a reported $51 million.

Eimco supplies technologies for liquid and solid separation processes, including those in the chemical and petrochemical, mining and minerals industries and the treatment of drinking water and wastewater. It has about 400 workers in Salt Lake City. Sales in the most recent fiscal year totaled $180 million.

GL&V designs, manufactures, upgrades and services equipment used in pulp and paper production and in liquid/solid separation processes. It has about 1,200 employees in 40 countries.

December 5, 2002
From the Deseret News, December 5, 2002.

Montreal-based GL&V, the parent company of Eimco Process Equipment in Salt Lake City, announced Wednesday that it has reduced the staff at the Utah facility by 90 workers.

Eimco supplies technologies for liquid and solid separation processes, including the treatment of drinking water and wastewater. The company had employed 350 people in Salt Lake City.

Eimco was purchased by GL&V last month for a reported $51 million. The company's sales last fiscal year totaled $180 million. GL&V designs, manufactures and services equipment used in pulp and paper production and in liquid/solid separation processes. It employs about 1,200 workers in 40 countries.

January 3, 2003
Changes for the former Eimco Equipment Machinery Division (sold in 1989, and closed in 1992), the following is summarized from Coal Leader magazine, January 3, 2003.

EIMCO is a Sandvik Company and a member of the Sandvik Mining and Construction group.

EIMCO designs, manufactures and supplies a range of mining equipment including continuous miners, Marietta Miners, shuttle cars as well as battery and diesel powered vehicles. Earlier this year, the company sold off its roof bolting and rail vehicle product lines to A. L. Lee Corporation. Also, earlier this year the Alpine Bolter Miners, Alpine Roadheaders and Alpine Breaker Line Supports, previously carried out by EIMCO, was taken over by Voest Alpine, a sister company.

EIMCO has announced that it plans to restructure operations and close its Bluefield, West Virginia, manufacturing plant. EIMCO has 166 employees at its company headquarters on U.S. Route 50 in Brushfork, near Bluefield. The restructuring will begin in early 2003 and be completed later in the year.

Sandvik Mining and Construction has decided to consolidate its Bluefield manufacturing and engineering operations within their Alachua, Florida, and Burlington, Ontario, Canada plants. Sandvik has five manufacturing plants and several sales and service units in the USA and Canada. With current and projected business conditions, there is a need to reduce costs.

The continuous miner product line will be transferred to Alachua and the rubber tired vehicle product line to Burlington, resulting in the ultimate closure of the Bluefield facility. The marketing, service, parts and administration functions will be based in Sandvik’s MGT offices in Bristol, Virginia. EIMCO equipment rebuilds and product support will continue to be done at the Bolt, West Virginia facility. In addition, the Norton, Virginia, and Brier Hill, Pennsylvania, warehouses will continue to operate.

The history of the company dates back to 1894 and EIMCO is the oldest underground mining machinery manufacturer in the country. Originally formed as the Eastern Iron and Metal Corporation in Salt Lake City, Utah, EIMCO became a leading player in the supply of mining equipment to the coal industry of this country and other major coal producing countries of the world.

The company’s involvement in Bluefield, West Virginia evolved from the two-car garage of Allen D. Coppinger, Sr. in 1944. Coppinger moved his one-man operation to Brushfork and operated it as Coppinger Machinery Service, Inc. until 1981 when Baker International purchased Coppinger. Baker also acquired EIMCO and merged the companies as well as West Virginia Armature, which had previously been acquired in 1978.

February 28, 2003
Dorr-Oliver Eimco announced that it would lay off about half of the workers in the Salt Lake City Process Equipment Division factory and offices. The layoffs had started in November 2002 just after the sale by Baker Hughes, when 65 people were laid off. Forty more were to be laid off during March 2003. (Salt Lake Tribune, February 28, 2003)

February 20, 2004
Summarized from the Deseret News, February 20, 2004.

The EIMCO facility at 669 W. 200 South, the site of the former D&RGW locomotive shop, was sold in February 2004 [within the last 10 days]. A Salt Lake businessman purchased 18 acres of downtown property near The Gateway and adjacent to the planned intermodal transportation hub for the Utah Transit Authority.

Dorr-Oliver Eimco, the water treatment equipment manufacturer and current owner, sold the property following its acquisition by the Canadian company Groupe Laperrier et Verreault (GLV). Dorr-Oliver Eimco operates as a division of GLV, which purchased the site in November 2002. Dorr-Oliver Eimco had already moved its Utah operations to 2850 Decker Lake Drive.

The total purchase included about 18 acres of land, stretching from 200 South on the north past the 400 South viaduct on the south, and between 600 West and 700 West.

(Previous information had stated that the former D&RGW locomotive shop had been sold to UTA as part of the sale and trackage rights agreements in September 2002. The above news item from 2004 corrects that previous error. In July 2019 the shops were demolished in favor of building an all-new bus maintenance facility.)

September 17, 2019
From BuildingSaltLake.com

For the last month, UTA’s demolition contractors have been bringing down a major structure behind the transit authority’s headquarters on 200 South and 669 West in west Downtown, Salt Lake City.

The former EIMCO mining equipment plant was in UTA's plans for a new bus maintenance and storage facility, which had its ground breaking ceremony in October 2018.

UTA, which acquired EIMCO’s factory and office building on 200 South and 700 West in 2007, planned to incorporate the old industrial structure in a modern, energy-efficient building. But studies found that it would be cost-prohibitive and less efficient to remodel the old building in favor of a new design. It was less expensive to tear it down that to refurbish it.

Photos

Eimco Photograph Collection at University of Utah -- A total of 268 photos of Eimco equipment and facilities.

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