Sears Seating, also known as Sears Manufacturing, is a designer and manufacturer of suspension and non-suspension seating

Chair

A chair is a stable, raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape depending on the criteria of the chair specifications. A chair without a back or...

 systems for the agricultural

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

, construction

Construction

In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...

, and material handling

Material handling

-Material Handling Industry:Material Handling is the movement, storage, control and protection of materials, goods and products throughout the process of manufacturing, distribution, consumption and disposal. The focus is on the methods, mechanical equipment, systems and related controls used to...

 equipment, and over the road truck

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

 markets. Founded in 1855, and headquartered in Davenport, Iowa

Davenport, Iowa

Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...

, Sears Seating has grown to over 600 employees (Quad Cities

Quad Cities

The Quad Cities is a group of five cities straddling the Mississippi River on the Iowa–Illinois boundary. These cities, Davenport and Bettendorf and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline , are the center of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area, which, as of 2010, had an estimated population of...

 alone), and spread across 6 continent

Continent

A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...

s.

About

Sears Seating is a manufacturer of suspension and non-suspension seating for agricultural, construction and material handling equipment, and on-the-road heavy-duty trucks. They hold over 60 patents and utilize the latest technologies in design and testing, including a partnership with the Institute of Physical Research and Technology (IPRT) at Iowa State University

Iowa State University

Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...

 to leverage technical and economic assistance. Sears Seating claims that its reputation is built on highly innovative seating products that offer unparalleled comfort and durability.

Sears is a seating supplier to:

• John Deere and Company
• CNH Global
  CNH Global
  CNH Global N.V. is a global, full line company operating in both the agricultural and construction equipment industries. CNH's scope includes integrated engineering, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of equipment on five continents...
  
  
• Caterpillar
  Caterpillar Inc.
  Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
  
  
• Bobcat
• Hyster
  Hyster Company
  Hyster is a manufacturing company specializing in forklifts and other materials-handling equipment. Hyster was founded in 1929 as the Willamette-Ersted Company in Portland, Oregon. The company was purchased in 1989 by NACCO Industries, Inc...
  
  
• Yale
  Yale Materials Handling Corporation
  Yale Materials Handling Corporation is a corporation that produces forklift trucks and other material handling equipment. The company was started as a lock manufacturer in 1844. Yale produced its first forklift truck in the 1920's under the name Yale & Towne Manufacturing. The company was purchased...
  
  
• Freightliner Trucks
  Freightliner Trucks
  Freightliner Trucks is an American manufacturer of heavy duty trucks, chassis and semi-trailer trucks in the United States. The company was founded as Freightliner Inc in 1942 and is now a division of Daimler Trucks North America, a subsidiary of the German Daimler AG...
  
  
• and many others companies around the world

History

Founded in 1855, the Sears Manufacturing Company pioneered the development of specialized and technologically-advanced seats for the agricultural, construction and material handling industries. Sears Manufacturing has become a global company with corporate headquarters in Davenport, Iowa

Davenport, Iowa

Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...

.

The following years marked significant events or milestones in development of Sears Seating:

• 1855 - Sears Seating was established in Davenport, Iowa
  Davenport, Iowa
  Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
  
   by founder Isaac Howe Sears. Sears began by producing harnesses
  Horse harness
  A horse harness is a type of horse tack that allows a horse or other equine to pull various horse-drawn vehicles such as a carriage, wagon or sleigh. Harnesses may also be used to hitch animals to other loads such as a plow or canal boat....
  
  , saddle
  Saddle
  A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
  
  s and other quality leather & canvas goods for the agricultural industry
  Agribusiness
  In agriculture, agribusiness is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming and contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales....
  
  .
• 1947 - Sears began producing agricultural and industrial seats.
• 1965 - Sears introduced the first mechanical suspension for the agricultural market.
• 1976 - Sears expanded internationally with Sears Europe in the United Kingdom.
• 1981 - Sears expanded into the heavy-duty truck
  Truck
  A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
  
   seating market.
• 1994 - Sears expanded facilities in Davenport, Iowa with a new mechanical center to house six-axis ride simulators and test equipment.
• 2005 - Sears added 50,000 additional square feet at the main plant in Davenport, Iowa. Sears also celebrated their 150th anniversary.

Awards and Facts

• 2007 John Deere Partner-level Supplier and Supplier of the Year
• 25 Largest Employers in the Quad City Region (15th)
• 4th Largest Company, by employees, headquartered in the Quad City Region