Victoreen Instrument Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive components, diversified industrial conglomerate |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Fate | Acquired by United Technologies Corporation in 1989 |
| Headquarters | Toledo , United States |
| Products | Automotive components, school buses, specialty vehicles, electronic devices, plastics manufacturing |
Sheller-Globe Corporation was an American manufacturer specializing in automotive components and operated as a diversified industrial conglomerate based in Toledo, Ohio. The company was established in 1966 through the consolidation of older firms and expanded its portfolio through a series of acquisitions until its own acquisition by United Technologies Corporation in 1989.
History
The origins of Sheller-Globe trace back to two historic enterprises founded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
1882: Globe Files Company
The Globe Files Company was founded in Cincinnati in 1882, initially focusing on the production of file cabinets and office furnishings. After broadening its product line, it adopted the name Globe Company and, in 1890, acquired the Wernicke Company of Michigan, resulting in the formation of Globe Wernicke. During the 1950s, Toledo’s City Auto Stamping Company, a producer of dies and automotive body parts such as grilles and consoles, acquired Globe-Wernicke. The combined organization was renamed Globe-Wernicke Industries, Inc., and later expanded by purchasing Akron’s Aluminum Seating Corporation.
1916: Sheller Manufacturing Corporation
Established in Detroit in 1916, the Sheller Manufacturing Corporation initially specialized in wood-rimmed steering wheels. In 1958, the company introduced innovative safety features including the first recessed safety steering wheel and padded dashboard package for Ford Motor Company. By the mid-1960s, with increasing emphasis on automotive safety, Globe-Wernicke identified Sheller as a key target for growth.
1966: Formation and Expansion
Facing a takeover bid from Dana Corporation, Sheller’s CEO Januarius Arthur Mullen engineered a leveraged merger with Globe, resulting in the creation of Sheller-Globe Corporation as a private entity on December 30, 1966. The new company centralized its headquarters in Toledo and concentrated on manufacturing automotive components.
In 1969, Sheller-Globe expanded by acquiring Superior Coach Company, a Lima-based builder of school buses and specialty vehicles.
The company further grew in 1974 by merging with Cleveland’s VLN Corporation. VLN’s subsidiaries included Leece-Neville, known for heavy-duty alternators; Paramount Fabricating, which produced automotive stampings; Accurate Parts, specializing in starter motor components; and Victoreen Instrument Company, focused on electronic devices.
Sheller-Globe extended its reach beyond automotive sectors with the 1981 acquisition of Radiation-Medical Products Corporation, integrating it into Victoreen’s operations.
Additional acquisitions related to automotive manufacturing included Detroit’s Olsonite Corporation in 1982, which produced steering wheels and injection-molded plastic parts; followed by Northern Fibre Products Company in 1984, a supplier of vehicle insulation and soundproofing materials. That same year marked entry into plastics manufacturing through the purchase of Engineered Polymers Company, which specialized in structural foam molding for business equipment.
Downsizing
Beginning in 1980, Sheller-Globe began divesting its less profitable segments in response to the shrinking demand for school buses in North America and an oversaturated market. The company discontinued production of buses and professional cars at Superior Coach’s Lima facility, liquidating parts of its assets. Subsequently, Mid Bus, a small enterprise based in Lima, restarted manufacturing Superior’s smallest school bus models with a workforce of seven employees. This operation later expanded to Bluffton, Ohio, before being acquired by Collins Industries in 1998. In 1981, the funeral car division of Superior was sold to Tom Earnhart and continued operations under Accubuilt, Inc., maintaining the Superior Coach brand name. By 1987, Sheller-Globe had divested its Leece-Neville unit to Prestolite Electric and sold Globe-Weis to American Trading and Production Company.
During the mid-1980s, Sheller-Globe redirected its business focus from automotive aftermarket parts toward producing original equipment interior components for vehicle manufacturers. Its various divisions supplied components such as thermoplastic, urethane, and leather-wrapped steering wheels, instrument panel pads, consoles, armrests, tail lamp assemblies, and other automotive parts, aligning with a strategic emphasis on OEM products.
Carrollton Bus Disaster
Several years after Sheller-Globe exited the bus manufacturing industry, one of its Superior-built buses was involved in the 1988 Carrollton bus disaster—recognized as the deadliest school bus accident in the United States as of 2007. A 1977 Ford B-700 church bus with Superior bodywork collided head-on with an intoxicated driver on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky. The tragic crash resulted in 27 fatalities and numerous injuries.
The bus did not feature enhanced collision protection or emergency exit provisions that were mandated by safety standards introduced only days after the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board criticized the flammable nature of the bus seats for exacerbating evacuation difficulties during the ensuing fire.
Although no product liability verdict was reached, both Sheller-Globe and Ford Motor Company made substantial financial contributions toward settlement funds for victims and their families. This tragedy highlighted significant safety concerns within bus manufacturing practices and regulatory adherence.
The book Reckless Disregard: Corporate Greed, Government Indifference, and the Kentucky School Bus Crash by James S. Kunen (1994) thoroughly examines the accident’s consequences and legal ramifications.
United Technologies Corporation
In the late 1980s, Sheller-Globe Corporation was acquired by United Technologies Corporation and became part of its Automotive Engineered Systems Division. Later, in 1999, Lear Corporation purchased this division to broaden its automotive product offerings and services. This acquisition enhanced Lear’s market position and global footprint within the automotive components industry.