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Roll-Rite Corporation was incorporated in 1991. Prior to that date, the company was known as Custom Steel Fabrication. Custom Steel Fabrication was founded in 1978 by Timothy and Marlane Searfoss and occupied a 1248 square foot building at the current location. As the name implies, the company first specialized in the fabrication of custom metal products.
After the passage of the Michigan tarp law in 1989, many local dump truck operators came to Tim and asked him to build a tarping system that worked better than the systems available on the market at that time. Tim took up the challenge and designed a system that overcame many of the limitations of those other systems. Features such as the direct drive gear motor and tension bow were innovative enough to earn U.S. patents.
The popularity of this new tarping system soon left no time to manufacture other products and led to the company's specialization in tarping systems and accessories. By 1995, Roll-Rite Corporation had established itself as one of the top manufacturers in the tarping industry and had begun a period of steady growth that continues today.
By late 1996 it became clear that issues with tarp material quality were causing problems for Roll-Rite customers. In 1997 the company began sewing their own line of tarps using top-quality engineered fabrics and mass production techniques.
After outgrowing three gear suppliers in as many years, it was decided that gear manufacturing should also be brought in-house. In the spring of 2001, Roll-Rite began producing gears in its new 12,000 square foot machine shop. The addition of this building gives the company over 53,000 square feet of space dedicated to the manufacture and sales of tarping systems and components. The ability to blank, hobb, and heat-treat their own gears lowered costs and improved product quality dramatically.
The desire to secure the company’s long-term future eventually led Tim to transform the company into a partnership. In October 2004, Roll-Rite Corporation gained several new shareholders and became Roll Rite, LLC. This progression beyond a single family business enables Roll Rite, LLC to be stronger than ever and continue to lead the industry in innovative products of quality.
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