KOP Insiders: Carl Rapp, President of Philadelphia Gear and Group VP at the Timken Company

KOP Insiders delves into the stories of the people who make King of Prussia one of Pennsylvania’s most dynamic live-work-play-stay destinations.

In depth interviews provide insight into the companies that make up our diverse business community and put a face to the individuals behind the business. In this edition, we are joined by Carl Rapp of Philadelphia Gear.

Please share with our readers more about Philadelphia Gear.

Philadelphia Gear® is a 133-year-old power transmission company. Originally founded in Philadelphia, it was headquartered downtown for most of its history until the 1940s, when it relocated to King of Prussia. At one point, Philadelphia Gear had its main manufacturing plant located where the Home Depot is now, which was almost 400,000 square feet. Initially, Philadelphia Gear was established to serve the anthracite coal mines in Northern Pennsylvania but later expanded and diversified its operations into various other industries and sectors to match the rapid industrial growth in the United States.

The core of Philadelphia Gear’s business involves designing, manufacturing, and servicing large, complex mechanical power transmission equipment, primarily gear transmissions such as speed reducers and increasers. Most of what’s made in our facilities are engineered solutions specifically designed for a customer’s application. Beginning at the end of the First World War and continuing into WWII, Philadelphia Gear supplied gear systems to the US Navy. That work continues to this day as we are the OEM of propulsion gear drives for five active US Navy ship classes that include destroyers, frigates, aircraft carriers, and two littoral combat support ships. The defense sector accounts for roughly half of our current business today. The other half of the company’s business spans several industrial sectors, including energy, water, mining, and other infrastructure industries.

Philadelphia Gear was a privately held entity under Wind River Holdings® until we were acquired by the Timken Company® of Ohio, a century-old manufacturer of engineered bearings and industrial motion products. The bearings that Timken makes are in a lot of things we don’t think about but rely on in everyday life, including aircraft landing gear, automobiles and trucks, jet engines, power plants, farm equipment, and rail cars—all of which essentially help keep the world moving.

Currently, Philadelphia Gear has approximately 250 employees globally and is headquartered in King of Prussia. We have manufacturing facilities in New Castle, Delaware; Birmingham, Alabama; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; and Chicago, Illinois, and through acquisitions, has expanded its footprint by adding other gear and motor/generator companies to its network of facilities in the US and Canada.

Tell us a little bit more about you, your background, and your role at Philadelphia Gear.

I began my manufacturing career almost 40 years ago with Norton Company in Worcester, Massachusetts, then the world’s largest manufacturer of abrasives and ceramics. I spent 15 years with them in New England, on the West Coast, and six years in Europe as an expatriate. In 1998, I relocated to Pennsylvania, where I worked in industrial distribution. It was during this time that the owners of Philadelphia Gear recruited me to join their team, and in 2001, I became the President and CEO of Philadelphia Gear. After Timken acquired Philadelphia Gear in 2011, I continued to serve as the President of Philadelphia Gear as well as a Group Vice President within Timken, which includes several other acquired companies that report to me.

What led to the decision to open the location in King of Prussia?

KOP has been our home for more than 75 years. After closing our primary facility in 2001 and spreading manufacturing across several different facilities around the country, we moved our headquarters to Norristown for a few years but ultimately decided we needed to return to King of Prussia. Our headquarters has about 45 employees spread across several functional departments, so our main concerns were accessibility and keeping talent. After researching where our people lived and mapping out their commutes, King of Prussia’s convenience was unmatched. Being centrally located, close to Philadelphia, between multiple highways and byways, getting to King of Prussia is easy. We spent a few years in an office on 8^th Avenue, near Duffy’s café, and when that lease ended, we decided to upgrade our space and move into the Radial building on First Avenue. We chose First Avenue because of the location and proximity to KOP’s amenities, and the building itself has been fantastic.

How does the King of Prussia location play into your recruitment?

I think the maximum daily commute that most people are willing to commit to is about 30 to 45 minutes each way. If you draw a circle around King of Prussia with that time as a radius, you can access a great pool of well-educated talent. The central location, coupled with the great amenities, is a big draw for people. Even smaller details, like parking, congestion, and grabbing a bite to eat, are important factors in attracting people to the area and our business.

What are some of your favorite things about King of Prussia?

The new investments in KOP, like Town Center, Topgolf, new hotels, fitness centers, and the casino, add real value to the area. All those amenities complement the KOP Mall and Valley Forge Park, one of the best National Parks in the US, where people walk all the time. Town Center restaurant and housing options have added a vibrancy and upscale feel that completely changed what it means to live and work in KOP. King of Prussia has been very pro-business. It has all the things that businesses need, for example, the numerous high-quality hotels nearby with available meeting space is a positive feature. To me, the fact that the community is so tightly knit into the fabric of the town is also a huge plus. We have a good relationship with the local police, who recently did active shooter training for our office and other companies in the area, and the Township does a good job of caring for roads and other infrastructure. They just make it work. And like many people, I travel for business, so it’s important to me to feel connected and have lots of local amenities when I’m in the area. KOP does a great job of that. Also, you can’t forget about the large variety of great local restaurants like Creeds, Founding Farmers, Davio’s, and Kooma, to name a few.

What would you say to someone considering moving their business to King of Prussia?

There are several factors to consider, but I think the convenience, amenities, the availability of good office space and the lack of congestion are all selling points. It is important to think about the employee’s experience while they’re commuting to and working during the day. Having things to do and places to go helps in recruitment and retention. And if your company has travelers like we do, the fact that it’s only about 35 minutes from the airport is also attractive.

To me, there’s a confluence of things you want and need to attract and keep people. And while that drives some higher cost of living and salary, it’s been a net positive for us. Not only is KOP good for business, but the surrounding region is great, and families have options for high-quality schools and hospitals. We have been very pleased with our location in King of Prussia and highly recommend it to anyone considering moving or opening a business.

Is there anything additional you would like people to know about Philadelphia Gear?

We are very proud of our work for the US Navy fleet globally. Anywhere the Navy goes, we are there to support them. You can read more about that here.

About Philadelphia Gear

At Philadelphia Gear, our mission is to help customers who work in demanding industrial markets prevent unplanned downtime by providing state-of-the-art gearbox technology. Based on over 130 years of innovative design engineering and manufacturing, our gear drives set the standard for the industry. Our products and service professionals help keep critical machinery running in the world’s toughest environments.

Philadelphia Gear
935 First Avenue
Suite 200
King of Prussia, PA 19406
philagear.com