About Grote

Our History

The average person has probably never heard the name Grote. It's not a common household name like Levis or Coke or Xerox. But the fact is, millions of people throughout North America and the world benefit from the innovation and design excellence of Grote products.

Today the road is filled with cars and trucks using Grote lighting components. The nation's highways are safer thanks to Grote safety systems. In fact, Grote pioneered many of the manufacturing processes that we take for granted today in America.

William Grote started our company at the turn of the 20th century. Our legacy of original thinking and visionary leadership was established by our founder. Early in the life of the growing young company, William Grote demonstrated his capacity for innovation. While exploring Europe for new technologies, Grote brought the first plastic injection molding machines to the USA. Shortly thereafter, Grote became the first producer of plastic products in the United States.

During the 1920's, our company shifted its focus to making products for the automotive market. At that point, Grote embarked on a program of research and development that has led the industry in vehicle safety equipment. Not content to simply follow the trends, Grote helped define the direction of automotive lighting and design, setting the pace for better methods and higher standards of safety through a continued commitment to innovation. William Grote's prophetic view of the future still guides and influences our company today.

Our Locations

 

Grote Industries, Inc., USA
2600 Lanier Drive
Madison, Indiana 47250
USA
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Grote Comercial Latinoamérica,
S.A. DE C.V, Mexico

Ave. Rogelio González Caballero 225
Parque Industrial Stiva Aeropuerto
Apodaca, Nuevo León,
México
Código Postal 66626
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Grote Shanghai, China
485 Xin Run Road
Xinqiao Township
Song Jiang, Shanghai, China
201612
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Grote Industries, Co., Canada
230 Travail Rd.
Markham, Ontario L3S 3J1
Canada
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Grote Electronics, Canada
95 Bathurst Drive
Waterloo, Ontario N2V 1N2
Canada
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Grote Industries, Europe
William-Grote-Weg 1
D-94327 Bogen
Germany
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Innovations

  • 1922 - The nation's first injection molded plastic products
  • 1929 - First fully automatic plastic injection molding machine
  • 1929 - World's first retro-reflective reflector, the universal basis for today's reflectors
  • 1936 - First commercially available injection molding material
  • 1965 - Invention of the Turtle-Back Marker Lamp, the Industry's first all non-metallic lamp
  • 1965 - Industry's first no-splice wiring system
  • 1977 - Industry's first repairable, long-life lamp
  • 1983 - World's first modular trailer wiring system, UBS
  • First LED marker light (1989)
  • 1998 - First refrigerated trailer fluorescent lamp
  • 2001 - First HID/HIR headlamp for the heavy truck industry
  • 2002 - First solid state, electronic turn signal switch
  • 2002 - First LED license plate lamp with active reflector optics
  • 2003 - First manufacturer in the industry to receive TS16949 Certification
  • 2003 - First LED Side Turn Compliant in all 50 States
  • 2004 – First LED Forward Lighting on the road
  • 2005 – First all LED Military signal lighting
  • 2006 – First all LED Military interior tactical lighting
  • 2007 – First all LED High Powered Driving light (Exceeds HID)
  • 2007 – Introduction of the next generation J 560 Ultra-Box Receptacle
  • 2008 - Introduction of LED WhiteLight™ exterior work lamps and interior dome lamp
  • 2008 - First all LED tactical interior lighting offerings
  • 2008 – Introduction of Infrared Motion-Activated LED Interior Dome Lamps
  • 2009 – Introduction of LightForm™ Technology
  • 2010 – Introduction of the Trilliant® 36 LED WhiteLight™ Conversion Bulb, which converts Par 36 Incandescent Lamps to LED
  • 2010 – Grote starts manufacturing their own coil cords
  • 2011 – Introduction of MicroNova® DOT marker lamp
  • 2011 – Introduction of Trilliant® Cube LED WhiteLight™ work lamp

Mission, Vision, Values

Our Mission

Grote will bring value to our customers through relationships and solutions that light the way. We will be a learning and digitally enabled organization that is scalable through lean operational excellence with sustainable, profitable growth.

Our Vision

Making our world safer and smarter through connected visibility.

Our Values

Trust, Integrity, Responsibility, Respect