History
Alfred Willard French founded The French Oil Mill Machinery Co. on May 25, 1900. An M.I.T. graduate and veteran of the linseed oil industry, French believed engineering creativity and research would produce superior vegetable oil mill machinery.
“We have not confined ourselves to prevailing types of machines, but have adopted radical departures for the benefit of the industry,” said French in 1908.
Alfred and his team transitioned their expertise in vegetable oil hydraulic press technology to other processes such as metal forming and rubber curing. French was granted 55 patents.
He also had a vision for the future of the company. He exported to markets outside of the USA and was soon building equipment for use in Great Britain, Germany and Norway. This strong tradition of partnering across the seas continues today with installations in nearly every country on nearly every continent. In 1984 French was awarded the Presidential “E” Award for Exports and then received the “E Star” Award in 2012. The “E” Awards are the highest recognition any U.S. entity may receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.
Alfred’s wife, Grace Albers French, took over as President, ably assisted by General Manager Charles B. Upton, after her husband’s untimely death in 1925. The company remained dedicated to the same principles of creative engineering and research.
Alfred Willard French Jr. joined the company in 1926, rising to Vice President in 1931 and President in 1962. Under his direction, the company expanded offerings to vegetable oil mills with mechanical screw presses and other products. He also pioneered the use of screw presses in the synthetic and natural rubber, wood pulp, and cane sugar industries.
In the late 1930s, French began manufacturing solvent extraction machinery for the vegetable oil industry. In 1999, French announced the licensing and sale of the latest technologies of its worldwide solvent extraction business to the DeSmet Group, S.A. of Brussels, Belgium.
Daniel Phelps French, the younger son of Alfred Willard French Jr., joined the company in 1971. He worked in the factory as a machinist, as Assistant Foreman in the Assembly Department, in the cost accounting department, and then as Purchasing Manager. He was promoted to Executive Vice President then to President in January 1982. After serving 31 years as President, in January 2013, he “stepped up” to Chairman and CEO, promoting Jason P. McDaniel to succeed him as President. Dan served as Chairman of the Board until his death in 2023.
Dan continued with the company’s commitment to innovation, insisting on continuous improvements to our quality and delivery performance. Through his tenure Dan lead the company through periods of significant changes and economic cycles, downsizing as needed, adding new product lines, divesting the oilseed solvent extraction business, acquiring a product line and an entire business, and other changes.
In 1998, Dan spearheaded an effort to achieve ISO 9001 certification, thus reinforcing our already exceptional quality standards.
French acquired TMP, a hydraulic press and rubber mixer manufacturer in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2009. Following the acquisition, French announced a new sales structure for its French and TMP hydraulic press groups, including the name change of TMP to TMP, A Division of French to clarify their ownership structure. TMP moved to French’s Piqua headquarters in August 2012.
FOM (Shanghai) Company, Ltd., a wholly foreign-owned enterprise of The French Oil Mill Machinery Company, in Shanghai, China, opened in October 2009. The 18,000 square foot facility allows French to provide the Chinese oilseed and polymer processing markets with Chinese-manufactured machinery or imported machinery, as desired by the customers.
Tayte French Lutz, daughter of Daniel French, was elected Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in 2023. She joined the company in 2010 as Marketing Coordinator and the Board of Directors in 2013. She was given additional responsibility of the production support team in 2021 and was promoted to Vice President in 2022 after her graduation from the Harvard Business School Owner President Management program.
In the tradition of its founder, The French Oil Mill Machinery Company continues to be an innovator. French has numerous new patents and products and is committed to an ongoing effort to improve its internal processes and maintain a close, cordial, and productive relationship with each stakeholder.
Contact French for more information about our history or our hydraulic presses, oilseed and polymer equipment.
