GUNTERT & ZIMMERMAN ' S origins date back to World War II when its predecessor company, Hickinbotham Bros. Const. Div., entered into contracts with the Navy and the Army Transportation Corp. for the construction of floating crane barges, landing crafts, steel tug boats, and 176 ft. Inter-island supply vessels. These contracts were completed so effectively under a management team led by the company founder Ronald M. Guntert, Sr., whose main characteristics were integrity and outstanding ingenuity, that on August 27, 1944, the Army-Navy Production Award (E) was presented to: "The men and women of Hickinbotham Bros., Construction Div." At the peak of the war, the partnership employed over 600 people.
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Ronald M. Guntert, Sr.
Founder / 1911-1993
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Shortly after the war, Ronald Guntert, Sr. and L.R. Zimmerman acquired Hickinbotham's interest and incorporated as Guntert & Zimmerman Const. Div., Inc. In 1948, Guntert & Zimmerman formed a steel and hardware supply division to augment their material needs, which was called Guntert & Zimmerman Sales Div., Inc. L.R. Zimmerman left both companies in 1950. Guntert & Zimmerman Const. Div., Inc.'s name remained the same due to its name recognition in the industry and its reputation worldwide for innovative work in canal, highway and airport trimming and paving equipment, as well as its work in ship building, dredging and other specialized construction machinery. The supply division, however, changed its name to Guntert Sales Div., Inc. in 1961, and it is more commonly known today as Guntert Steel.
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United States Army Vessel / 176' (53.6M) / October 1, 1944 |
Both corporations shared a 7 acre waterfront facility on Banner Island, Stockton, California, until 1984 when the two corporations relocated 26 miles south to Ripon, California. This new facility is situated along Highway 99 on 22 acres, of which 9 acres are available for future expansion.
Today, Guntert & Zimmerman Const. Div., Inc. continues to engineer and manufacture innovative specialized construction machinery which are marketed and sold worldwide. |
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| Beginning as a shipbuilding company, G&Z turned to the design and fabrication of canal construction machinery right after World War II and supplied its first set of canal machines in 1946. These original canal machines were used on the Grand Coulee Dam project in Washington State and the Delta Mendota Canal Project in California. G&Z canal equipment has been used on the construction of over 75% of the canals in the Western United States. |
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Guntert & Zimmerman's canal machines, which include a trimmer and concrete slipform liner, were the very first of their kind built in the world. The first canal machine, invented by the innovative contractor Clyde Wood, traveled on rails. Leonard Zimmerman , one of the founders of G&Z, was Wood's head equipment man and master mechanic. Zimmerman was responsible for drawing up and building the first trimming and lining machine Wood conceptualized in the late 1930's.
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Starting in 1956, Guntert & Zimmerman pioneered the use of Concrete Slipform Pavers and Trimmers for highway and airport construction in the U.S.A. Starting in 1963, G&Z expanded to Europe by licensing S.G.M.E.-Moser, Belgium. These crawler track mounted machines had automatic lane and grade control and could pave up to three lanes in one pass. As early as 1960, G&Z Slipform Paver users were able to meet or exceed California's smoothness specification of 7" (178mm) per mile according to a California profilograph.
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| The original concepts and principals demonstrated by G&Z Concrete Slipform Pavers are the same principals all slipform manufacturers use today.
Guntert & Zimmerman has continued to pioneer new, innovative and cost saving developments in canal, highway and airport construction equipment since their beginnings over 50 years ago. Guntert & Zimmerman built the first Highway Trimmer with automatic line and grade control. An elevated bucket wheel trimmed material onto Discharge Conveyor. 1961 |
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