Hutchinson’s roots derive from back in 1853 when Hiram Hutchinson entered the shoe market under the brand name à l’Aigle. The company took its first steps in 1860 to open up its third factory in Mannheim, Germany, selling to the Central European Markets. 30 years later the company began making bicycle tires in addition to the shoe manufacturing. It was 13 years later that Hutchinson realized that rubber can be used for everything and that they could produce much more such as automotive car tires. coated fabric for airplanes, and dirigibles. By the 1920’s, Hutchinson was manufacturing products within 10 segments: shoes, clothes, fabrics, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, heavy vehicles, balloons, heels and technical products. The best-selling products of the time are floor mats, Kégresse caterpillar track belts for Citroën, and seals for jars. Throughout the years Hutchinson had acquired several companies’ along with developing several new technologies including a process to get rubber to bond to metal via brass coating. Today The Hutchinson Group has become a specialist in elastomer applications for industry and the automotive sector developing new products including engine mounts for many European car makers.
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