On April 10 of this year, local company Riten Industries Inc. turned 50 years old.
On July 13, Riten employees past and present, customers, and suppliers from across North America gathered to celebrate 50 years of manufacturing excellence. Originally founded in 1933, Riten was known as Aeronautical Products Inc. In 1948, the operation, then known as Rigid, was moved to Bloomingburg. In 1969, under new owner John Lachat, its name was changed to its current name, Riten Industries. Riten moved to its current location in Washington Court House at 1100 Lakeview Ave. in 1977.
Over the last 50 years, Riten Industries has become a worldwide industry leader offering the world’s largest selection of live and dead centers, face drivers and engineered products. Riten tools not only hold their customer’s workpiece in the machine; they also “center” the workpiece so that the part runs true during manufacturing. With workpiece capabilities from four ounces to more than 200,000 pounds, Riten offers the widest range of workholding options to satisfy today’s global manufacturing requirements.
You may never see Riten products in the department store, but you will cross paths every day with basic products that Riten products held in place while the part was being machined. Parts commonly used in automobile transmissions, steering columns, axles, motorcycles, aircraft, spacecraft, ships, weapons, nuclear reactors and oil drills were all once held in place by Riten products produced here in Washington Court House. Riten’s customers include such notables as General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler, Honda of America, Dana, Harley Davidson, John Deere, NASA, Caterpillar, Boeing, Whirlpool, General Electric, GKN Driveline, the Department of Defense, and Pratt & Whitney.
Riten Industries markets its products across the world and ships products all over North & South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. Even with an impressive global reach, Riten Industries is first and foremost a family company and its employees strive to have a positive impact on their local community. Back in 1969, John started with five employees – 50 years later, Riten has reached 58 employees. Currently, 14 employees have been tenured with Riten for over 20 years, and the company has an average tenure length of over 11 years. From its beginning, Riten has prided itself in creating jobs and manufacturing MADE IN THE USA products right here in Fayette County.
