History

1905 . KERR PUMP & SUPPLY WAS FOUNDED

Kerr Pump & Supply was founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1905 by David M Kerr as Kerr Machinery Corporation. We are Michigan and Northwest Ohio’s oldest and largest distributor. We have been providing the industry’s most highly engineered, cost-effective, efficient and reliable equipment since our inception.

1907 . KERR PUMP & SUPPLY IS GROWING

Kerr began manufacturing electric and steam driven centrifugal pumps under the name of Kerr Machinery & Supply, founded in 1905 by Alexander M. Kerr, along with his two sons, David and Robert, and incorporated in 1907.

1914. Kerr Location – Detroit, Michigan

Headquartered just north of the Detroit city limits, Kerr initially ran operations out of the basement of the Dime Bank Building in the heart of the city, where we successfully built pumps until 1914.

Growth and expansion led to the enlistment of the famous architect, Albert Kahn, to design a modern 6-story Kerr Machinery Building, located at the corner of Fort and Beaubien streets.

1922 . GROWTH CONTINUES UNDER ROBERT KERR

A profile written about Robert Kerr in the book, The City of Detroit Michigan, 1701 – 1922, Volume 1, highlights his business ethics: “As the head of this and subsidiary companies, he succeeded in building up a business second to none in the state, achieving splendid results through honesty, square dealing and by reason of the value and worth of his products.”

These same practices have been carried on through generations and continue today under the leadership of Tom Gross, President.

1964 . KERR RELOCATION

In 1964, Kerr moved to their current facility. It is here that we manufacture the Kerr and Haynes lines of vertical process and vertical sump pumps. Additionally, we represent numerous manufacturer lines of pumps — from gear pumps, to centrifugal, vacuum, and air operated pumps—as well as other products, like heat exchangers, blowers, tanks, valves, packaged systems, and control panels.

These offerings span diverse industrial applications, providing solutions for manufacturing processes, municipal projects (water and wastewater), and supporting the ever changing industries in Michigan and Ohio with their fluid process plant requirements.