After more than 50 years as founder and CEO of TSE Brakes Inc., Ted Smith has embraced his new role as consultant to the business. The company thanks Ted for his leadership and inspiration over these 50+ years and is pleased to tell his story of the company he founded in his own words below:

During the late 1950’s, with less than $500 in his pocket Ted purchased a new GMC pick up truck, with no cash down, arranged for $10,000 worth of truck parts on credit, and began selling up and down the West Coast of the U.S. as a one man company. Today the company designs tests manufactures and distributes high quality actuators globally. It may have seemed an odd combo selling brakes during the week and going full out in the air for the Cal Air National Guard when he was not working, but not to Ted.

By the mid 1960’s TSE was remanufacturing all brands of airbrake actuators and eventually disassembled more than 3 million failed spring brakes turning them into more than one million high quality remanufactured actuators under the TSE Brand. The remanufacturing company branded its products under the TSE Brakes name and sold throughout North America. The experience gained from remanufacturing was the basis for development of the TSE Brakes OMNIBRAKE, first released to production in the late 1960’s Ted was (and remains today committed to continuous improvement - looking for ways to be innovative with the company’s product offerings.) Advancements have come through multiple patented process’s over the years, Ted and the TSE Team developed new designs and turned them into products which reduce or eliminate Coil Clash (one of the biggest reasons for any actuator failure) The all steel chamber housing is also a cornerstone of the brand says Ted.

“Corrosion is the other worst enemy of a good brake chamber. Trying to assemble 3 different metals and giving them good corrosion protection is pretty complicated. I have found that simple ideas work the best for our business and our customers”. Innovations have continued with the ULTRALIFE line of air brake chambers.

In addition to the TSE Brakes business you may have connected with Ted through his other business entities along the way including Ted Smith Equipment Co Inc, Fresno Mack Truck, Great Dane Trailer Sales, Fresno National Lease, Calif. Finance and Lease and others.

As Ted moves into his new role, he and Joyce (his wife and confidant for over 52 years) wish to thank the many employees, customers, suppliers and friends that have all played a role in making TSE Brakes the company it is. Never to rest on laurels, Ted quickly challenges “and it is in your hands to continue to improve the business so we continue to provide the products our customers need for the future."