What Grote Industries makes

Grote Industries is a manufacturer of vehicle lighting and safety systems for commercial vehicles, headquartered in Madison, Indiana. Its catalog runs across LED and traditional lighting (stop, tail, turn, marker, clearance, work, forward, and headlamp lamps), warning and hazard products such as beacons and strobes, reflectors, mirrors, wiring harnesses and connectors, circuit protection, and audible safety devices. The company serves heavy-duty trucks, trailers, vocational and work trucks, emergency vehicles, recreational vehicles, and agriculture, mining, construction, marine, and military applications.

Grote sells both to vehicle and trailer builders as an OEM supplier and into the commercial-vehicle aftermarket. Beyond discrete lamps and wiring, it has moved into connected trailer technology through its Networks division and the 4SEE smart-trailer system, which adds programmable lighting and trailer telematics to the traditional lighting and wiring business. Grote Electronics, a Waterloo, Ontario subsidiary founded in 1992, designs the LED electronics and tractor-to-trailer communication systems behind much of that product line.

Ownership and history

Grote was founded in 1901 by William D. Grote, initially as a chemical and industrial oxygen manufacturer. By the 1920s the business had shifted to the automotive market, and Grote records a long list of industry firsts: early injection-molded plastic products in the 1920s, the first retro-reflective vehicle reflector in 1929, the Turtle-Back marker lamp and a no-splice wiring system in 1965, the Ultra-Blue-Seal modular trailer wiring system in 1983, and the industry's first LED marker light in 1989. The company marked its 125th anniversary in 2026.

Grote remains a private, family-owned company. In 2022, fourth-generation family members Dominic, John, and Mike Grote acquired 100 percent control of the business, and Bill Grote serves as Chairman of the Board. Day-to-day leadership per the company's own materials and public profiles: Dominic Grote is President and CEO, John Grote is Chief Operating Officer, and Patrick Smith joined in August 2026 as Vice President of North American Operations after leading operations at Vibracoustic, a Freudenberg company. The company reports more than 1,600 employees across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, and China. Grote does not publish audited revenue figures, and estimates that circulate through data brokers are modeled rather than reported.

Global operations

Grote's footprint reflects a century of geographic expansion tracked in its own history: Canada in 1976, Mexico in 1993, Asia in 2007, and Europe in 2009. Manufacturing and distribution today span its Madison, Indiana headquarters and main plant, Grote Electronics in Waterloo, Ontario, Grote Latin America in Mexico, Grote Europe in Germany, and Grote Shanghai in China. The Madison site also runs a product testing and evaluation lab. This multi-country manufacturing base is consistent with Grote's supply pattern, which combines domestic assembly with a steady flow of imported components (see Sourcing evidence below).

Certifications and quality

Grote reports IATF 16949 quality-management certification across multiple sites, the automotive sector standard, along with ISO 14001 environmental management. According to the company's quality page, Grote Madison holds IATF 16949, ISO 14001:2015, and an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited test lab (certificate 5396.01), plus Ford Q1 Preferred Quality Status held since July 2003. Grote Latin America and Grote Europe carry IATF 16949 and ISO 14001, Grote Europe adds ISO 9001, Grote Electronics holds IATF 16949 with a certificate dated September 2024 through September 2027, and Grote Shanghai holds ISO 9001:2015. Grote states it was the first manufacturer in its industry to receive ISO/TS16949 certification in 2003 and transitioned to IATF 16949 first edition in 2018. The company runs Advanced Product Quality Planning as standard practice and publishes conflict-minerals and environmental policies. Certification claims here are reported as the company states them.

Known customers

Grote does not publish a named customer list, which is normal for a lighting and wiring supplier serving OEM and aftermarket programs. What is on the public record is its standing with vehicle manufacturers. Grote has held Ford Q1 Preferred Quality Status since 2003, a supplier-quality designation that documents a qualified OEM relationship, and the company describes itself as a preferred supplier to leading commercial-vehicle manufacturers and trailer builders. Specific program awards beyond that are not documented in public sources, so none are claimed here.

Sourcing evidence

Grote's US import record is that of an active manufacturer sourcing components abroad rather than a pure importer of finished goods: 1,540 sea shipments from January 2015 through September 14, 2026, across 47 recorded foreign suppliers. The most active are Keyway in Taiwan (482 shipments), Grote's own Grote Shanghai International Trading affiliate in China (415), Jeou Her Dar Industrial in Taiwan (116), and Long Fu Truck and Trailer Parts in China (104). By HS chapter, the mix leads with automotive parts (853 shipments), electrical and electronic goods (231), plastics (179), aluminum (77), and glassware (52), the component profile of a lighting and wiring maker. Origins are concentrated in China (783 shipments) and Taiwan (697), with smaller flows from Thailand, Hong Kong, and Germany.

Shipping activity has been steady. Grote logged 215 shipments in the trailing 12 months against 221 in the prior 12 months, and average container volume rose to about 32 TEU per month over the last year. Customs-derived estimates put cumulative ocean shipping spend near 4 million dollars since 2015, an order-of-magnitude figure rather than an audited one. The presence of Grote's own Shanghai affiliates in the record confirms an intra-company supply leg from China into the United States. For buyers weighing tariff exposure or nearshoring, that China and Taiwan concentration is the relevant fact.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck, and rail movements, including most US-Canada and US-Mexico flows, do not appear; some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers; and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does Grote Industries make?

Grote Industries manufactures vehicle lighting and safety systems for commercial vehicles: LED and traditional lamps (stop, tail, turn, marker, work, and forward lighting), warning beacons, reflectors, wiring harnesses and connectors, circuit protection, and smart-trailer systems. It serves heavy-duty trucks, trailers, work trucks, emergency vehicles, RVs, and agricultural, mining, and military markets.

Who owns Grote Industries?

Grote Industries is a private, family-owned company. Fourth-generation family members Dominic, John, and Mike Grote acquired 100 percent control in 2022, and Bill Grote is Chairman of the Board. The company was founded in 1901 by William D. Grote and has stayed under Grote family ownership across its history.

Where is Grote Industries headquartered?

Grote Industries is headquartered at 2600 Lanier Drive in Madison, Indiana, which is also its main US manufacturing site. The company operates additional manufacturing and distribution locations in Waterloo, Ontario (Grote Electronics), Mexico, Germany, and Shanghai, China.

How many employees does Grote Industries have?

Grote reports more than 1,600 employees globally, spread across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, and China. Databases that model headcount from LinkedIn profiles show lower US-only figures and undercount manufacturing workforces.

What certifications does Grote Industries hold?

Grote reports IATF 16949 quality-management certification across multiple sites, along with ISO 14001 environmental management and an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited test lab in Madison. It has held Ford Q1 Preferred Quality Status since 2003 and says it was the first in its industry to earn ISO/TS16949, in 2003.

Who are Grote Industries' customers?

Grote does not publish a named customer list. It describes itself as a preferred supplier to leading commercial-vehicle and trailer manufacturers and has held Ford Q1 Preferred Quality Status since 2003, a documented OEM supplier-quality designation. It also sells widely into the commercial-vehicle aftermarket through a distributor network.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.