The story
Tecumseh products began in a livery stable on Railroad Street in Hillsdale, Michigan in 1931 as the Hillsdale Machine and Tool Company. Originally founded by Charles Floyd Sage (better known as Bill), Ray W. Herrick, Olin Freed, Marshall Davis, and Wilbut Groauman in order to make parts for Ford Motors, the company began to grow quickly after Frank Smith joined Hillsdale with an idea for a refrigerated compressor. The operations soon outgrew the livery stable, and in 1934 the company moved to the town of Tecumseh and changed its name to Tecumseh Products Co. By 1950, Tecumseh was the largest independent manufacturer of refrigerated compressors in the world.
In 1956 Tecumseh entered the small engine market acquiring Lauson and in 1957, acquired the Power Products Company- maker of 2 cycle engines found in many antique chainsaws.
In 2007, the company's former gasoline engine and power train product lines were sold to Platinum Equity LLC. In December 2008, the company closed its engine manufacturing division. Later Tecumseh Power sold off its Peerless transmissions business to Husqvarna Outdoor Products.
In 2009, Tecumseh Products completed a move from Tecumseh, Michigan to Pittsfield Charter Township, Michigan.
Tecumseh Power closed its doors in February 2009 when Platinum Equity LLC announced that Tecumseh Power Company had sold certain assets of its engine business to Certified Parts Corporation, including all existing and unfinished engine parts inventory, tools to make finished product, and certain intellectual property assets.
In 2015, Mueller Industries and Atlas Holdings completed the purchase of Tecumseh's refrigeration business.
From Wikipedia’s article on Tecumseh Products, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.6