Gates Manufacturing is an Iola success story, said Mark Cooper, plant manager.
Current employment is 715 with a payroll of up to $30 million.
Cooper was the guest speaker at Friday’s See, Hear Iola forum in Riverside Park.
Gates manufactures hydraulic hose and couplings, pulleys and tensioners, industrial hose and engine hose. Of its 31 plants in North America, the Iola plant is the largest, Cooper said, and even then faces overcrowding. In the summer of 2012, employment peaked at 830.
Gates has a global footprint with manufacturing and distribution plants in Europe, Asia and India, the Middle East and North Africa, and South America. Corporate headquarters are in Denver, Colo.
“We’re in the things that move you,” is its company slogan, Cooper said. Familiar markets for the industrial and automotive industry are John Deere, Bobcat, NAPA Auto Parts, O’Reilly Auto Parts and CarQuest.
The Iola plant opened in 1976 and has expanded over the years to 450,000 square feet on 95 acres. Manufacturing comprises more than half of the square footage with distribution taking up 170,000 square feet.
Gates records high employment numbers
