The story begins in 1946, the year following the end of World War II, when two friends, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a U.S. Navy veteran, bought the industrial parts supply business Owen-Richards and opened the first location in Birmingham, Alabama. Though the company started as Owen-Richards in 1946, William Spencer and Caldwell Marks renamed the company “Motion Industries” in 1972. The name conveyed the purpose of keeping machinery – and industry – in motion.

Many decades later Motion now operates both in the MRO (maintenance repair and operating) replacement parts market as well as the OEM market (original equipment manufacturer or equipment and machinery). Our organization’s unmatched experience with industrial parts and conveyance solutions positions us as an industrial and commercial partner, rather than a vendor or part supplier like other providers. We pride ourselves in keeping our partners’ jobsites and assembly lines running safe, smooth, and at maximum efficiency.

Motion’s advanced automation solutions and engineering capabilities combined with our supply chain proficiency enable us to deliver superior results and satisfy a wide range of industrial, commercial, architectural, and engineering needs. Our value-added services, unparalleled customer service, and vast distribution network set us as the gold standard for industrial solutions.