Our History

Premax was founded in 1922 as the Niagara Metal Stamping Co of Niagara Falls, NY as a job shop stamping house. This business model quickly changed however, as the company found opportunity in property marking in industries such as, utilities, railroad, manufacturing, housing and vehicle numbering, to name just a few. Soon thereafter, the company was renamed to Premax to signify the quality of its products and was acquired and set up as a division under the Chisholm-Ryder Company, a leading manufacturer of farming equipment in its time. This merger allowed for a greater offering of products including the manufacture of tent stakes, fishing rods and reels, and water sprinkler systems.

Our continued commitment to service, quality and durability, also led to Premax marking systems being the only allowable pole marking system under the Rural Electrification Administration in 1935. Thus, making Premax instrumental in the electrification of America and a pioneer in utility asset marking. During this time, Premax also ventured into the antenna making business, developing whip antennas for marine, civil, and police use. During World War II, Premax became a certified supplier of PT boat antennas as our part of supporting the war effort.

With the resumption of peacetime manufacturing, Premax’s efforts became focused on the utility marking industry. This allowed us to provide a greater offering of marking products with the development of UV resistant enamels and improved manufacturing processes. In 1996, Premax moved its operations to Medina, Minnesota, just west of the Twin Cities. At the time, our honored employee Mrs. Finley retired after sixty-nine years on the job. To this date, we have provided over 800 million markers to the utility industry and stand by our claim as the Grandfather of the utility marking industry.

In 2022, Premax moved to Amery, Wisconsin, where our sister companies, Noble-X, Inc. and MRL Manufacturing, are located. Our capabilities have expanded and we are happy to continue providing our customers with embossed aluminum characters that stand the test of time.