Barnes
Engineering Company was started by George W. Barnes in 1963
in a 1500 square foot industrial unit located at Santa Ana,
California; within two years the Company moved to a 3500 sq.
ft. ind. unit in Santa Ana, California. In 1974 the Company
moved to a 10,000 sq.ft. industrial unit located in Anaheim,
California. 1973 to 1975, of course, was the worst economic,
setback that the U.S. experienced since the Great Depression
of the 1930’s and 1940’s. The Company came through
this period quite well with the founder’s emphasis on
a diversified product mix, which was apropos for that period
of the economy.
Barnes Engineering Company was fabricating Solid Bearing Precision
slides, precision electronic chassis and also set up an engineering
prototype printed Circuit Board Division. The majority of
the work was military oriented. The Business was originally
set-up to manufacture a complete line of precision slides,
both solid-bearing and a new revolutionary precision, stamped
steel line of Ball Bearing Slides.
In 1967 Barnes Engineering Company obtained an SBA loan of
$18,000, which was of great benefit to the initial line of
precision slides; this new invention by Barnes Engineering
Company forever changed the industrial world's use of slides.
Up to this time a precision steel, stamped slide did not exist
in the world.
By 1977 the Company was positioned to produce a more extensive
line of slides and after paying off the original SBA loan.
At this time we decided to develop a new ultra heavy duty
ball-bearing slide and to produce this new line and our entire
slide line in stainless steel in both our Heavy-duty Line
and our standard line of slides; to this day we remain the
only precision slide manufacturer that produces slides in
stainless steel.
In 1990 the Company made a decision to move from Anaheim,
California to Colorado Springs, Colorado. The economic development
people in Colorado Springs established enterprise zones with
incentives to move manufacturing companies.
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