W.S. Darley and Co.

Early years

W.S. Darley & Co. was founded by William Stuart Darley in Chicago, Illinois, in 1908. The third generation family-owned company started out selling its firefighting and police equipment to municipalities across the US through its mail order catalog. In 1926, Darley met Henry Ford to discuss methods of producing fire trucks. Ford agreed to sell Ford Model T chassis to Darley so the company could start manufacturing fire trucks. Later that year, W.S. Darley introduced the first commercial fire truck in the US. Priced at $690, they were significantly more affordable than other fire trucks, at roughly 20% the cost. Much like Sears, Roebuck & Co. selling large, expensive items such as homes out of its catalogs, W.S. Darley began selling fire trucks out of its. In 1933, they began building their own pumps for their fire trucks at a new plant in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Building pumps quickly became the company's core business.

Modern era and diversification

W.S. Darley began to focus on expanding its product line in 2008, starting the Darley Defense division to market new and existing products to the US Department of Defense; as of 2012, the division was the company's largest in terms of sales.

Paul Darley, the founder's grandson, is the company's president and CEO. He succeeded his father, Bill Darley, who was president and CEO from 1960 until 1998. W.S. Darley & Co. is owned by 16 members of the Darley family. The company is based in Itasca, Illinois, and also has plants in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and Janesville, Iowa.

Products

W.S. Darley & Co. designs, manufactures and distributes firefighting, military, homeland security, law enforcement and water purification equipment. The company builds a variety of pumps, including fire pumps, water purification pumps and fuel transfer pumps. They have contracts with municipal fire and police departments, individuals and overseas customers, as well as the US Department of Defense through its Darley Defense division. It supplies The Pentagon with firefighting, rescue and special operations equipment including tents, sleeping bags and flashlights. It also supply parts to other companies that build fire trucks, and emergency equipment for natural disaster responders.

W.S. Darley has developed compressed air foam systems (CAFS) that combine firefighting foam with air and water, using water more efficiently, which can be helpful in areas where water access is difficult. Fire trucks equipped with CAFS technology have been purchased overseas in countries including China and Nigeria. The company has also manufactured the largest pump on the market, a 3,500 gallon-per-minute water pump for fires in heavy industrial areas. W.S. Darley has developed new thermoplastic technologies to help make fire truck bodies last longer. In 2010, W.S. Darley began manufacturing drones with thermal imaging, for use by firefighters and law enforcement. The drones went on the market in 2011.

Acquisitions

W.S. Darley acquired Odin Foam, which makes compressed air foam systems, in 1997; the Ohler Machinery Company, which makes water pumps, in 2007; and Self Testing Systems, which makes fire sprinkler pump systems, in 2013.

Honors

W.S. Darley & Co. has been an Inc. magazine Inc. 5000 honoree for five consecutive years, from 2009 through 2013.