Motion Industries began as Owen Richards Co., an industrial supply company, which Caldwell Marks and William Spencer III purchased in 1946 in Birmingham. Changing the name to Motion Industries, Marks and Spencermerged with Genuine Parts Company in 1972. Motion Industries now forms the Industrial Parts Group of Genuine Parts. According to Marks, Motion Industries was one of the first industrial distribution companies to establish a central distribution center and set-up an electronic parts database. Modern Motion Industries is an industrial parts distributor for products including bearings, mechanical power transmission, electrical and industrial automation, hydraulic and pneumatics, process pumps, hydraulic and industrial hose and industrial/safety supplies. It also provides fabrication and repair services. As of 2017, Motion Industries had annual sales of $4.96 billion and 300,000 customers. Its customers cross numerous industries including: food and beverage, pulp and paper, iron and steel, chemical, mining, petrochemical, automotive, wood and lumber, and pharmaceuticals. At $4.96 billion in sales, Motion Industries placed fourth on Industrial Distribution's 2018 "Big 50" list of industrial distributors. It was also recognized as "Distributor of the Year" by 3M in 2014.
Leadership
Randall P. Breaux is Motion Industries' .
Name
Stevens explained the founders' decision to change the name from Owen Richards to Motion Industries "because everything we do moves – we’re in the bearing and transmission business."
Locations
There are more than 500 Motion Industries offices located throughout the United States and in Canada through its Motion Canada subsidiary. The company operates in Mexico through its Motion Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V. division.
Acquisitions
In the late 1990s, Motion Industries acquired Illinois Bearing Co. in Mattoon, Illinois. On October 26, 2013 Motion Industries acquired AST Bearings. In 2015 the company acquired Miller Bearings, an Orlando-based industrial parts distributor.
Legal
In 2012 Donald G. Maynor II, an employee, sued Motion Industries for age discrimination, alleging that the company fired him due to his age in violation of the West VirginiaHuman Rights Act. In 2015 Motion Industries sued Superior Derrick Services for $1 million due to non-payment of a portion of a contract for parts delivered between 2011 and 2014.
