In 1924, Cincinnati Mine Machinery was a newcomer to the coal mining community, but the Ohio company is now among the oldest – marking its 100th anniversary this year of manufacturing high performance forged components for numerous heavy industries.
The privately held CMM was founded in the early 1920s but acquired by the senior Stenger. The executive line-up today is made up of President and CEO Robert (Bob) Stenger, Operations Manager and Treasurer Anthony (Tony) Stenger, and Sales and Marketing Director Robert Jr. (Bobby) Stenger, with the latter two comprising the Stenger family’s fourth generation.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment for any company to survive 100 years,” said Bob Stenger. “Much less to do it as a family-owned and operated business. I think this milestone reflects the strong partnerships we’ve developed over the past century by manufacturing rugged and reliable components that have enabled miners to do more and deliver more every day.
“Our ongoing commitment to first-rate service and matchless innovation is tremendously important because this is not just the place where we work – it’s our family’s history and legacy.”
To this day, during the company’s product development stages, CMM engineers and sales representatives with hands-on expertise in equipment maintenance are present at mine sites to get direct feedback from miners on what’s working and what’s not to enhance overall component performance.
Initially focused solely on cutter chains, CMM’s forged block and connector distinguished the product from cast-and-fabricated alternatives, and helped establish its reputation for quality and durability. From there, it innovated continuously on productd that would enhance mining productivity.
How much can things change in 100 years? Bob, Bobby and Tony Stenger are continuing the legacy of Bob’s grandfather, Edwin Stenger, taking what was a regional company global and growing across the coal and trona industries as well as salt, potash and gypsum.
In the early 1970s, CMM introduced its universal connector conveyor chain, which remains widely recognized as the strongest chain available. That time period also welcomed the 814 Ripperveyor chain for the JOY 11CM miner, and the 734 chain for the Jeffrey Heliminer 120-H machine. These two chains represented significant advancements, both for CMM and miners, who immediately achieved higher productivity and longer service life.
CMM, still based in Ohio with a staff of 40, now has facilities in seven U.S. states and four countries, and has a distribution network worldwide. About 40% of its business today is international.
“We think we’ve added value to the industry,” the senior Stenger said. “We’ve got a great group of people that have been long-time employees with us for many years, and we’re happy we’re able to survive for this long period of time.”
“Everything that we try to accomplish on a yearly basis continues to be positive for us. We can’t predict what the world’s going to do, but…coal is not going anywhere. It may not be what it was five, ten or twenty years ago, but it’s certainly not going to go away anytime soon,” added Tony Stenger.
Putting it all into perspective was Bobby Stenger. “As long as we have the right people in place and Washington, D.C., does what it’s supposed to, I think the future is bright for the coal industry,” he said.
