Franklin Electric

Franklin Electric is a United States-based manufacturer and distributor focused on the movement and management of water, fuel, and other liquids. The company supplies pumps, motors, drives, controls, and related systems for residential, commercial, agricultural, industrial, and municipal applications. Its businesses span groundwater and clean-water systems, wastewater and gray-water equipment, fluid-handling components, fuel-dispensing infrastructure, and distribution services for contractors and water-system professionals. The company was established in Bluffton, Indiana, in 1944 by E. J. Schaefer and T. W. Kehoe. Its name commemorated Benjamin Franklin, whom the founders regarded as an early American electrical innovator. Franklin Electric's first product was a backpack generator intended to power radio equipment used by paratroopers and other assault troops during the Second World War. The end of the war reduced demand for that product, prompting the company to redirect its engineering capabilities toward fractional-horsepower motors for residential water pumping and basement dewatering. That postwar transition aligned with the expansion of American housing construction. Franklin's small motors were used to move water into homes and remove water from flooded basements, and the company reported sales of nearly $1.7 million in 1947. In 1950, it introduced a fully submersible electric motor. The design was quiet, compact, resistant to freezing, relatively easy to install, and capable of supporting pumping from greater depths. Submersible motor technology became the foundation of Franklin's water business and later proved adaptable to applications involving gasoline, commercial air-conditioning equipment, crude-oil recovery, and subsea operations. Franklin subsequently broadened its technology and market reach. Its early Submatic sump-pump system used a sealed stainless-steel enclosure and automatic sensing to activate the pump as water levels rose, eliminating the need for an exposed external float switch. By the middle of the 1960s, the company was applying its motor expertise beyond water, including oil-handling and undersea applications. It later developed motors for gasoline pumping and established FE Petro in 1988, a business that became associated with Franklin Fueling Systems. Today, Franklin Electric operates internationally through manufacturing, distribution, and sales activities. Facilities and operations described for the company include locations in the United States, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, China, and Japan. Its water systems serve homes, farms, commercial buildings, industrial facilities, and municipalities, while its energy systems support fueling stations and related petroleum infrastructure. The company has also expanded its distribution presence; in 2017 it announced the formation of Headwater Companies, LLC through the acquisition of three distributors. Headwater functions as a network of groundwater-product distributors serving contractors in the United States. Franklin Electric's overall positioning combines long-established motor expertise with integrated pumping, controls, monitoring, and distribution capabilities.

Franklin Electric was founded in 1944 in Bluffton, Indiana, by E. J. Schaefer and T. W. Kehoe. The founders selected the Franklin Electric name in recognition of Benjamin Franklin and his association with electrical experimentation and innovation. The company's initial product was a portable backpack generator designed to supply electricity to radio equipment carried by paratroopers and other assault troops during the Second World War. The conclusion of the war caused military orders to decline. To adapt to peacetime demand, Schaefer and Kehoe developed fractional-horsepower electric motors for pumping water into houses and removing water from flooded basements. The timing was favorable because returning service members helped drive a major housing-construction boom in the United States. Franklin's motors gained acceptance in residential water applications, and the company recorded almost $1.7 million in sales in 1947. A major technical milestone came in 1950, when Franklin introduced a fully submersible electric motor. Compared with many earlier arrangements, the motor was compact, quiet, resistant to freezing, and easier to install. Its ability to operate in deep wells enabled water recovery in areas with low water tables. The underlying design also demonstrated flexibility beyond household water systems. Over time, Franklin motors were used in gasoline pumps, commercial air-conditioning equipment, crude-oil recovery, and deep-sea applications. The company also developed the Submatic sump pump. Its sealed stainless-steel casing incorporated water-level sensing so that the unit could start automatically as water rose. This arrangement reduced the need for an external float switch and allowed the pump to be installed below floor level, helping establish Franklin's reputation in automatic pumping equipment. During the 1960s, Franklin expanded its engineering work into oil-pumping and subsea applications. Its experience with submersible motors eventually led to the development of equipment for moving gasoline. In 1988, the company established FE Petro, which became the foundation of its fuel-systems business and was later known as Franklin Fueling Systems. The fueling operation expanded through product development and acquisitions, adding equipment intended to support complete fueling installations rather than only individual motors. Franklin continued to grow its water business through both internal development and acquisitions. Its global water-systems activities came to include pumps, motors, drives, and controls for clean water, gray water, wastewater, groundwater, and related municipal, agricultural, commercial, industrial, and residential uses. The company developed and marketed variable-speed technologies, including the SubDrive line, to improve pressure management and system control. In 2017, Franklin announced the acquisition of three distributors and the formation of Headwater Companies, LLC. Headwater consolidated a group of groundwater distributors serving contractors and other professional customers in the United States. This move strengthened Franklin's route to market in groundwater equipment while complementing its manufacturing businesses. Franklin Electric now operates as an international industrial company with manufacturing and distribution activities in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and other markets. Locations identified in reference material include the United States, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, China, and Japan. Its modern portfolio remains centered on water and energy systems: pumps and motors, electronic drives and controls, wastewater equipment, fueling infrastructure, and distribution services. The company's historical development therefore reflects a progression from wartime portable generators to specialized submersible motors and, ultimately, to broader fluid-management platforms.

1. 2017Headwater Companies created

   Franklin announced the acquisition of three distributors and formed Headwater Companies to expand groundwater distribution in the United States.

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2. 1988FE Petro established

   Franklin established FE Petro to develop equipment for gasoline movement and fueling applications.

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3. 1965Expansion beyond water pumping

   By the middle of the 1960s, Franklin was developing motors for oil-handling and undersea applications.

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4. 1950Fully submersible electric motor introduced

   Franklin introduced a submersible motor that became an important platform for deep-well and other liquid-pumping applications.

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5. 1947Postwar water-motor business gains traction

   Fractional-horsepower motors for residential water pumping and basement dewatering helped the company reach nearly $1.7 million in sales.

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6. 1944Company founded in Indiana

   E. J. Schaefer and T. W. Kehoe founded Franklin Electric in Bluffton, Indiana.

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7. 1944Portable military generator introduced

   The company's first product was a backpack generator designed for radio equipment used by airborne and assault troops.

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A technically oriented industrial supplier positioned around dependable fluid movement, submersible motor expertise, integrated controls, and broad application coverage across water and energy infrastructure.

• Submersible motorsWater motors1950

  Franklin's submersible motors are designed to operate below the liquid surface in wells and other pumping installations. The technology grew from the company's 1950 fully submersible motor and supports residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, and municipal water systems. Similar motor principles have also been adapted for fuel, oil, subsea, and other liquid-handling applications.

• SubDriveVariable-speed pumping systems

  SubDrive is a family of variable-speed drive and control solutions for water-pumping systems. These systems regulate pump operation in response to demand, helping provide more consistent pressure than a basic fixed-speed arrangement. They are aimed at residential and other water applications where electronic control, system monitoring, and efficient operation are important.

• SubmaticSump pumps

  Submatic was an early Franklin sump-pump system housed in a sealed stainless-steel casing. Its automatic sensing function started the motor when water levels rose, avoiding the need for a conventional exposed float switch. The design allowed installation below floor level and represented an early example of Franklin combining pumping hardware with automatic controls.

• FE PetroFueling equipment1988

  FE Petro began as Franklin's gasoline-pumping business and became a major name within the company's fueling portfolio. Its products include submersible pumping and related equipment for service stations and petroleum-distribution infrastructure. The line has included variable-length pump designs and the Mag Shell pump, supporting Franklin's broader strategy of supplying complete fueling systems.

• Franklin Fueling SystemsFuel-management systems

  Franklin Fueling Systems represents the company's broader energy and fueling-systems activities. The business supplies equipment and technologies used in fuel dispensing and underground petroleum infrastructure, extending beyond individual motors into integrated systems for fueling facilities.

• Headwater CompaniesGroundwater distribution2017

  Headwater Companies is a Franklin Electric distribution platform serving groundwater contractors and related professional customers in the United States. It was formed in connection with the 2017 acquisition of three distributors and operates as a collection of groundwater-product distribution businesses rather than as a single consumer product line.

• 2017Creation of Headwater Companies through distributor acquisitionsM&A

  Franklin sought to strengthen its access to groundwater contractors and expand its distribution capabilities in the United States.

  What changed. The company acquired three distributors and organized them under Headwater Companies, LLC.

  Aftermath. Headwater became a network of groundwater distributors supplying products and brands to contractors.

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• 1988Entry into gasoline-pumping and fueling systemsStrategy

  Franklin's submersible-motor expertise had expanded from water into oil and other liquid-handling applications.

  What changed. The company established FE Petro to develop motors and equipment for moving gasoline, later building the Franklin Fueling Systems business.

  Aftermath. Fueling became a second major area of activity alongside water systems, with products intended for broader fueling installations.

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• 2017Franklin Electric formed Headwater Companies after acquiring three distributors

  Franklin Electric announced the acquisition of three distributors and organized the resulting groundwater-distribution activities under Headwater Companies, LLC.

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1. Franklin Electric
2. Franklin Electric official website