About

Frantz Manufacturing Company, Located in Sterling, Illinois, Is a Manufacturer and Marketer of Conveyor System Components and Steel Ball Products Used in a Variety of Applications. The Frantz Manufacturing Company Was Chartered as “a General Manufacturing Business for the Purpose of Manufacturing and Selling Various Kinds of Inventions and Specialties Constructed of Metal, Wood or Other Materials.” Throughout Its History, Frantz Has Been an Innovator in the Various Product Categories in Which It Has Chosen to Compete. Founded in 1909 in Sterling, Illinois (Nicknamed “the Hardware Capital of the World”) Frantz Manufacturing Company Was One of Several Major Hardware Manufacturers in Town Producing a Variety of Hardware Products Ranging from Hinges to Barn Door Track and Hangers. It Distributed Its Products Widely Throughout the Country Using a Captive Sales Force. In the 1920’s, Frantz Went on to Meet the Needs of Customers Building Garages for Their New Automobiles with a Line of Swinging and Folding Garage Door Hardware. Garage Door Track and Trolley Wheels Were Later Developed for “around the Corner” Doors. This Led Frantz to Develop and Patent a New Design of “over the Top” Garage Door Hardware. Eventually Frantz Entered the Business of Making the Actual Garage Door Panels Themselves and the Automatic Openers as Well.