Monroe Shocks and Struts, one of the most respected brands in the automotive and commercial vehicle industries, celebrated its 100th Anniversary in 2016.
Founded in 1916 in Monroe, Michigan, and eventully the business became Monroe Auto Equipment Company initially manufactured tire pumps for the owners of early automobiles. Meyer soon added a partner, local Dodge motorcar dealer Charles S. McIntyre, whose industry knowledge helped cultivate demand for the company’s self-oiled, single-barreled pumps. By 1926, Meyer and McIntyre had turned their attention to a larger opportunity – the demand for increased driver comfort and control. Later that year they introduced the first Monroe “Shock Eliminator,” which soon replaced the unwieldy carriage springs on many passenger vehicles. Nine decades and millions of customers later, the Monroe brand has become a globally recognized standard of innovation and product excellence within the ride control category.
Monroe Auto Equipment expanded to Europe in 1964. Tenneco, which purchased the company in 1977, has overseen the development of several Monroe innovations for passenger vehicles, trucks, buses and other applications. The company introduced the automotive service industry’s first gas-charged replacement shock absorbers, Monroe Gas-Matic™ shocks, in 1982; Monroe Reflex® shocks and struts in 1999; Monroe Quick-Strut® complete replacement strut assemblies in 2003; Monroe OESpectrum® shocks and struts in 2011; and Monore OESpectrum MRTech2 was launched in Europe in 2016.
