Leece-Neville is a global manufacturer and supplier of alternators, starters, electrical equipment and services to the transportation, industrial, military, marine, agricultural and construction industries. Leece-Neville serves as a division of

Prestolite Electric Prestolite Electric Incorporated is a global manufacturer and supplier of alternators, starters, electrical equipment, and services to the transportation, industrial, military, marine, agricultural and construction industries. The company sells i ...

History

Early history

The Leece-Neville co. was organized in 1909 by Cleveland inventor Bennett M. Leece and financier Sylvester M. Neville. Incorporated in 1910 with capital of $61,000, Leece-Neville opened at 2069 E. 4th St. in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio. The company moved to 5363 Hamilton Ave. in 1915. In 1918, Leece had developed a self-starting ignition system, for which he received the

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

for that year. Leece-Neville starters and electrical systems were standard position for the

Haynes Automobile Company The Haynes Automobile Company also known by its badge as “Americas First Car” was an early American automobile manufacturing company that produced automobiles in Kokomo, Indiana, from 1905 to 1924. The company was formerly known as the ...

Post war era

The company flourished during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, producing electrical starters, generators, and

Voltage regulator A voltage regulator is a system designed to automatically maintain a constant voltage. It may use a simple feed-forward design or may include negative feedback. It may use an electromechanical mechanism or electronic components. Depending on the ...

s for airplanes, trucks, and industrial and marine equipment. After the war, the company pioneered the use of the alternator on municipal vehicles such as fire trucks, police cars, and buses. By 1950, the company held 56 patents, and with the introduction of the

alternator An alternator (or synchronous generator) is an electrical generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current. For reasons of cost and simplicity, most alternators use a rotating magnetic field wit ...

on passenger cars in 1960, company growth and expansion continued. In 1955, Leece-Neville purchased a plant at E. 51st St. and St. Clair to expand production, and in 1959, established a plant in

Gainesville, Georgia Gainesville is a city and the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it has been calle ...

Mergers and acquisitions

* In 1969, Leece-Neville merged with Victoreen Inc, and became a subsidiary of the VLN Corp. * In 1974, Cleveland-based VLN Corporation was merged into Sheller-Globe Corporation. VLN's Leece-Neville divisions supplied heavy-duty alternators, starter motors, and fractional horse power motors for automotive and industrial customers. * It July 1987,

acquires Leece-Neville from the Sheller-Globe Corporation Corporation. *In the early 1990s, the Cleveland and Gainesville plants of Leece-Neville are merged, and operations are moved to

Arcade, New York Arcade is a town in Wyoming County, New York, United States. The population was 4220 at the 2020 census. The Town of Arcade has within its borders a village also called Arcade. Arcade is in the southwestern corner of Wyoming County. Histor ...

. *On April 7, 2015 Prestolite Electric, LLC announces that Zhongshan Broad-Ocean Motor Co., Ltd. (Broad-Ocean Motor) completed its acquisition of Prestolite Electric, LLC and its subsidiaries.

References

{{Prestolite Electric Auto parts suppliers of the United States Electronics companies established in 1909 1909 establishments in Ohio Companies based in New York (state)