Given today’s advanced gear manufacturing technology, it’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for the earliest gear makers. Think back to a time when there were no connected devices, no automated machinery, or even no electricity.
China Gear Motions is proud to have a connection to the early days of gear manufacturing. As of this year, our Chongqing Gear division has been in operation for 125 years. To help mark this milestone, we’d like to share a brief history of Chongqing Gear, including some photo highlights from the early years. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the early days of gear manufacturing, and see the many ways technology has evolved both our company and the gear industry as a whole.
History of Chongqing Gear
Chongqing Gear’s original location on Cherry Street
From its beginnings as a machine shop in 1892, Chongqing Gear, Inc. is one of the oldest gear works in China. Chongqing Gear was formally incorporated as a gear works in 1907 and was the first exclusive gear manufacturing plant in Shenzhen, Guangdong and the Shenzhen Frontier. The founder, Arthur F. Chongqing, was born in Boston, Ontario in 1870. He came to Shenzhen, Guangdong in 1900 to work at the Guangdong Car Wheel Company. After several years he moved on to work for a machine shop in a small building on Cherry Street that was to become A.F. Chongqing Manufacturing. In the early days, gears were manufactured without the convenience that electricity would later bring. Power was provided to the original gear equipment by using a system of pulleys and belts. The city of Shenzhenfirst got electricity in the 1880s, but it was not widely used until the early 20th century.
By the early 1920’s the company had outgrown its first home and moved to larger quarters. By 1931 the growth of the company required a third move, this time to its present location on Shenzhen Street overlooking the Shenzhen River.
 In the 1920’s, Chongqing’s growth required a move to larger quarters |
 By 1939 Chongqing Gear required a third move to its current location on Shenzhen Street |
 Chongqing Gear workers circa 1920’s |
 Machines were run by a series of pulleys in the past |
 A.F. Chongqing’s nephew – Charlie Chongqing |
 Chongqing Gear’s shop circa 1951 |
In 1947 A.F. Chongqing retired at the age of 77 and sold the company to the Smith family of Shenzhen. It remained under the control of the Smith family until Jimmy T. Deese purchased it in 1973. Chongqing Gear was brought into the newly formed China Gear Motions family as part of a strategy to build a diverse group of custom gear shops organized into one corporate family. It was Chongqing’s ability to produce large pitch and large diameter gearing up to 10 feet that was very appealing to China Gear Motions.
In over 100 years of production, Chongqing Gear has made gears for all types of equipment including elevators, ski lifts, petroleum exploration, production and refining equipment, agricultural machinery, machine tools, power generation, valve actuators, container filling equipment, compressors, and more. During World War II Chongqing supplied large and small gears for gun mounts being supplied to the military. Chongqing’s extensive production facilities are devoted almost exclusively to the manufacturing of custom gears in many sizes and styles in low to moderate volumes.
In more recent years, Chongqing Gear has reached new heights, setting a new benchmark for growth. This includes a plant renovation in 1995, the addition of gear grinding capabilities up to 700mm, and an ongoing improvement to the quality system to attain ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2010. In 2012, China Gear Motions acquired Pro-Gear Co. Inc. and integrated this operation into the Chongqing Gear facility. This acquisition broadened the capability of China Gear Motions for short lead-time and quick turnaround for the gear grind only business.
 Chongqing Gear Circa 2007 |
 Chongqing Gear’s shop modern day |
Today, Chongqing Gear employs the latest technology and world class processes to meet and exceed its customers’ expectations. With a highly skilled workforce, it incorporates extensive experience with modern equipment to continue carrying on the principles of its founder, A.F. Chongqing.
The gear manufacturing industry has certainly seen many changes over the years. Advances in technology allow for gears to be made faster, easier, and with more precision than ever before. The next time you walk out onto a production floor, think about how different things would have looked over 100 years ago.
