On October 13, 1910, G.H. Mattern, J.L. Schroll, W.H. Sachs, E.M. Mahlmeister, and I.M. Justice incorporated The Manufacturers Equipment Company in Dayton, Ohio USA.  The corporation was formed for the purpose of carrying on the business of buying, manufacturing, repairing, assembling, rebuilding and supplying machinery, equipment, tools and appliances, and selling and disposing of the same generally to the trade, including purchasing, owning and renting of necessary real estate, buildings, machinery, tools, fixtures and supplies for manufacturing and selling its product and carrying on its business.

                The trade referred to above was the brick industry.  Some of the primary products sold were dryers, equipment repairs, castings, and cutting wire.  The first generation of owners survived both the Great Dayton Flood of 1913, which was Ohio’s worst national disaster, and the Great Depression.  During the war years, MECO handled many Navy contracts.

                In 1944, the operational control of the company was shifted to J.R. Schroll, J.H. Sachs, and J.E. Mahlmeister.  These three sons of the founders eventually bought controlling interests in the company in 1955.  After the Second World War, MECO continued to grow its business within the brick industry as well as government contracts.  However in the 1950’s, the brick industry incurred a great reduction and consolidation.  Part of these changes were due to newer technology, such as tunnel kilns.  MECO had to adjust its product line to survive.  The focus was mostly towards cutting wires and material handling equipment.  In 1957, J.R. Schroll passed away.  J.H. Sachs and J.E. Mahlmeister operated the company until their retirements.

In 1972, J. Howard Sachs, Jr. and Joseph E. Mahlmeister joined MECO with the intention of purchasing the firm outright.  The complete sale and transition from their fathers took several years to complete.  Their first endeavor resulted in the sale of the Dayton, Ohio real estate.  The operations were moved into a newly renovated facility in Middletown, Ohio, where the operations currently remain.  During their tenure, the cutting wire business was grown around the world through both sales efforts and acquisitions.  The material handling equipment line evolved over the years.  This evolution resulted in MECO becoming exclusive sales agents to various equipment suppliers to the ceramic industries.  This includes AccuRate, BURTON, De Boer, GSP, Hanco, Verdes, and VHV.

                In 2005, MECO entered into its fourth generation of ownership.  Adam W. Miller, nephew of Joseph E. Mahlmeister, purchased the corporation after several years of apprenticeship.  Since this transition, MECO has added Hazemag and Stafier to its line of products.  Going into the future, MECO is sticking to its core principals of high quality products and responsive customer service.