Serving our Customers for
Over 120 Years

The Federal Signal story begins at the dawn of the 20th century, when the Gilchrist brothers founded Federal Electric Company, a manufacturer of electric store signs in Chicago. Since joining the New York Stock Exchange in 1969, we have grown as a diversified industrial manufacturer of specialized vehicles for maintenance and infrastructure markets, as well as safety and security products, serving customers in municipal, government, industrial, and commercial markets.

TRUVAC in front of wind turbine

An Organization Committed to Creating a Cleaner Environment for All of Us

Federal Signal operates 23 principal manufacturing facilities around the world while directly managing over 30 service centers. Our customers are also supported through a network of thousands of distributor and dealer locations.

FS Locations Map

North America

 

Corporate Headquarters
    Downers Grove, Illinois
Fayette, Alabama
Leeds, Alabama
Tempe, Arizona
Long Beach, California

Denver, Colorado

Tampa, Florida

Post Falls, Idaho
Elgin, Illinois
Streator, Illinois
University Park, Illinois
Highland, Indiana
Gonzales, Louisiana
Lake Crystal, Minnesota
Tishomingo, Mississippi

 Belgrade, Montana

 

Billings, Montana
Missoula, Montana
New Brunswick, New Jersey

Albany, New York
Rochester, New York
High Point, North Carolina
Monroe, North Carolina
Rugby, North Dakota
Williston, North Dakota
Toledo, Ohio
Hadley, Pennsylvania
Saegertown, Pennsylvania
Lexington, South Carolina
Houston, Texas
La Porte, Texas

Midland, Texas

 

Salt Lake City, Utah
Snohomish, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Nisku, Alberta, Canada
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Courtland, Ontario, Canada 
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Innisfil, Ontario, Canada
London, Ontario, Canada
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Europe

 

Newcastle, United Kingdom
Katowice, Poland
Barcelona, Spain
Madrid, Spain

Africa

 

Gauteng, South Africa

Manufacturing Facilities
Service Centers / Customer Support

Our Mission and Vision

As an organization, we are relentless in our commitment to our customers to build and deliver equipment of unmatched quality that moves material, cleans infrastructure, and protects the communities where we live and work.

Federal Signal’s equipment keeps society moving, which means we have a duty to help solve the trickiest problems of the future in a sustainable and ethical manner.  With every product we manufacture and every service we provide, we remain steadfast in our commitment to always do what is right.

This commitment is shared throughout our organization, from our leadership to our people – and the 4,500 individuals who work each day to make this vision a reality.

Our Core Values

We believe that the core values of integrity, honesty, and equality are fundamental to all that we do. Beyond these basic values, we believe in:

INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY

We believe “why” is the most important question of all, and we encourage each other to ask it.

ADAPTABILITY

Our commitment to developing our workforce means that changing business conditions will not impede the accomplishment of our mission.

FOCUS

While we are free to choose different tactics along the way, we will not waver from our strategy, our value proposition, and our commitment to delighting our customers.

CLARITY

With candor and coherence, we are willing to speak our minds.

JUDGMENT

We strive to take action wisely, applying our extensive body of knowledge for the benefit of our customers, our employees, and our company.

PASSION

We care deeply about our customers, and about our fellow employees. We are relentless in the pursuit of solutions to customer problems, and we will empower our employees to help them better meet those customer needs.

OPTIMISM

Without the belief that we are likely to succeed, we guarantee that we will not.

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Serving the Needs of a Changing World

Founded in 1901, Federal Signal joined the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 1969, trading under the ticker symbol FSS. Our story is one of more than a century of innovation and growth.

James and John Gilchrist

1901

The Federal Electric Co., a manufacturer of electric signs is incorporated in Illinois by brothers John and James Gilchrist and partner John Goehst.

patent

1915

The young company diversifies its growing product line by purchasing the patents for an electrically operated siren.

Samuel Insull

1930

Federal Electric comes under the ownership of Commonwealth Edison, becoming part of the utility empire of Samuel Insull.

Air Raid Sirens

1940

The company becomes independent again and sales continue to grow as new applications for its signs and signals are developed.  During World War II, the company provides sirens to warn Londoners of incoming air raids, and, after the war, its signs are used to illuminate Las Vegas casinos.

FSSC logo

1955

The company is renamed the Federal Sign and Signal Corporation with a focus on warning with products such as police sirens, fire alarms, and outdoor lighting.

FS-Arch-1961-Blue-Island-Facilty-acuired-1946

1961

The company goes public, trading on the NASDAQ exchange.  Net income reaches $1 million and sales hit a record $15 million. Federal Sign and Signal subsequently joins the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 1969, trading under the ticker symbol FSS.

FS logo

1975

After changing the company’s name to Federal Signal Corporation, the corporate offices are moved to Oak Brook, IL.

Elgin Sweeper

1982

Elgin Sweeper Co., the leading manufacturer and pioneer in street sweeping machines, is acquired.

history-vama

1992

Aplicaciones Tecnologicas Vama S.L., a leading European manufacturer of emergency vehicular signaling products located in Barcelona, Spain, is acquired.

Guzzler_1993

1993

Guzzler Manufacturing, Inc., an Alabama-based manufacturer of state-of-the-art vacuum technology is acquired, providing a wide range of mobile vacuum solutions to support existing and new markets.

Vactor Team 1994

1994

The Pullman Company is acquired and renamed Vactor Manufacturing.  Based in Streator, IL, Vactor has since become the industry standard for sewer cleaners in municipal markets.

Jetstream

1998

Jetstream of Houston is acquired, providing a comprehensive range of innovative and automated industrial cleaning solutions.

1999 HXX Hydro Excavator

1999

Vactor introduces the HXX, a dedicated hydroexcavator designed specifically for safe-digging applications.

Guzzler

2000

The manufacturing of Guzzler industrial vacuum loaders is moved to the Vactor manufacturing facility in Streator, IL, to create greater product synergies and manufacturing economies.

QSIREN

2004

The traditional Q Siren sound is trademarked, making Federal Signal the first manufacturer in the fire industry to trademark the sound of a siren.

DennisMartinSquare

2010

Dennis J. Martin is appointed President and CEO. 

 

Elgin1 100 Years Logo


2014

Elgin Sweeper celebrates 100 years of manufacturing street sweepers.

Jennifer Sherman Square

2016

Jennifer L. Sherman is appointed President and CEO and joins the Board of Directors.  Dennis J. Martin is elected Chairman of the Board.

Westech_Jackal

Westech Vac Systems, a Canadian manufacturer of high-quality, rugged vacuum trucks, is acquired.

JJE_Facility

Federal Signal announces the growth of its North American business with the acquisition of Joe Johnson Equipment (JJE), a leading Canadian-based distributor of maintenance equipment for municipal and industrial markets.

TBEI_Facility

2017

Truck Bodies and Equipment International (TBEI) is acquired, making Federal Signal the owner of six dump truck body and trailer brands, including Crysteel, DuraClass, Rugby, Ox Bodies, Travis, and J-Craft.

TRUVAC_Launch

2019

Vactor introduces TRUVAC, a brand of premium vacuum excavator trucks satisfying safe-digging requirements for locating and verifying underground utility lines and pipes.

MRL_Facility

The company completes the acquisition of Mark Rite Lines Equipment Company, Inc. (MRL), a leading manufacturer of road-marking and line-removal equipment, along with Highmark Traffic Services Inc., a provider of road-marking services in Montana.

PWE_Facility_Sign

2020

The company acquires Public Works Equipment and Supply, Inc. (PWE), a distributor of maintenance and infrastructure equipment covering North Carolina, South Carolina and parts of Tennessee. This distributor is subsequently rolled into our JJE business.

OSW_Facility

2021

The company continues its rapid pace of growth with three key acquisitions:

OSW Equipment and Repair LLC, a leading manufacturer of dump truck bodies and custom upfitter of truck equipment and trailers, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries: Northend Truck Equipment (NTE) and Western Truck Body (WTB).

GFW_Facility

 

Ground Force Worldwide (GFW), a leading manufacturer of specialty material handling vehicles supporting the extraction of metals and minerals.

Deist_Facility


Deist Industries, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries: Bucks Fabricating, Roll-Off Parts, AmeriDeck, and Switch-N-Go, manufacturers of interchangeable truck body systems and waste hauling products.

LA Hybrid Broom Bear

2022

The first, plug-in, hybrid-electric street sweepers in the United States are sold to the city of Los Angeles.

TowHaul_Facility_2

 

The company acquires TowHaul Corporation, a leading manufacturer of off-road towing and hauling equipment serving the mineral extraction industry.

BLS-Liquidator

2023

Federal Signal acquires Blasters Inc., a manufacturer of truck-mounted waterblasting equipment, with applications in road-way projects, airport runway rubber and marking removal and other surface preparation projects.

Trackless-Ribbons-Plow

Federal Signal acquires Trackless Vehicles, a leading manufacturer of multi-purpose, municipal sidewalk tractors, with applications in snow removal, mowing, asphalt repair, leaf loading, sweeping, and hauling. 

History-FSlogo

2024

Federal Signal Corporation's corporate offices are moved to Downers Grove, IL