Onspot of North America Inc. -- coming off the best year in the history of the company despite budget cutbacks on the municipality side of the business, Onspot’s biggest market – is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Onspot Automatic Tire Chains can be found as a factory-installed option from 211 OEMs and over 1400 Onspot dealers throughout North America, and they have dramatically gained popularity among end users who operate fire trucks, ambulances, school buses, utiilty trucks, fuel oil delivery trucks and over-the-road tractor trailers.
“With thousands and thousands sold every year, we have come a long way since 1988, when the company sold a grand total of 126 sets of Onspots, and no, we did NOT make any money that year” said President Patrick Freyer.
The company purchased the North American marketing rights to the Swedish invention in 1988. ONA imported the product into the United States from 1988 to 1992. During 1992 the original Onspot Company in Linkoping Sweden was purchased by VBG Group of Vanesborg Sweden, which still owns the Onspot name, drawings and patents today.
Freyer and his partners were convinced that the only way they could stay competitive and offer quick availability was to manufacture in the United States. They chose North Vernon, Indiana, as the factory location since it was centrally located, had a skilled worker force and was considerably less expensive to operate compared to the East Coast.
After leasing a building for five years, Onspot built its own factory one block away in North Vernon and has since added to the factory twice, making it a total of 30,000 square feet. In 2012, ONA purchased a 7400-square-foot building and three-acre parcel next door to the factory that is used for warehousing.