Excel (originally incorporated as Excel Brass & Machine) was established in 1929 and was located at 14th & Broadway in the center of Pekin. At that time, Excel specialized in making small brass bushings and fittings. In the 60’s the company was purchased by the Pieschke family out of Michigan who sent their new son-in-law Merrill Parsons and his young family to Pekin to run the company. In 1972 Mr. Parsons decided do more than manage the company and took the step of purchasing the company outright.  Shortly thereafter, he purchased 200 acres southwest of Pekin where he built the first of several buildings in the present location on Wagonseller Road. At that time the name of the company was then changed to Excel Foundry & Machine. During the 70’s Excel was approached by some Midwest mining companies about manufacturing replacement parts for their draglines and stripping shovels.  These requests came due to the fact that the mines were desperate to keep their equipment running but were having enormous difficulty getting the required replacement parts from the original equipment manufactures.  Over the subsequent years, Excel forged the business model that still exists today based on providing high quality Excel branded aftermarket parts and unequalled service to the end-users of mission critical heavy equipment.

During these years, Excel earned a reputation in the industry for very high quality product, integrity in conducting business, and reliability to come through in even the shortest deadlines.  Excel even had its own airplane and regularly flew replacement parts directly to mine sites during emergency breakdown situations. Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, Excel continued to grow and prosper, manufacturing replacement parts for mining operations all around the world.  Excel’s next big opportunity presented itself when aggregate customers began coming to us looking for an alternative to the original equipment manufacturers for the bronze bushings used in their rock crushing equipment.  Excel made a commitment to the industry and developed its own line of replacement parts which quickly gained acceptance.

To support this new growth, Excel invested in additional machine tools and built a state-of-the-art 80,000 square foot foundry operation in 1993 utilizing 11 modern, induction melting furnaces. In 1999, the company was sold to Merrill’s sons, Doug and Rick who became equal partners. Doug took the position of President and CEO while Rick assumed the position of Vice President of Sales. With the new ownership came an even more aggressive approach to growth and expansion at Excel. Annual revenues climbed from $10 million to $40 million between 1999 and 2006. The company evolved into a full-line crusher replacement parts company including steel and iron wear parts, pumps, belts, filters, hydraulic cylinders, and nearly any parts a customer might need for his crushing equipment. In addition, Excel expanded its offering to the industry by providing repair and rebuild services for crushing equipment.  By 2004 Excel had successfully positioned itself as the “Crusher Parts SuperStore” and a world leader in the areas of parts supply and service.

In early 2004, Doug and Rick launched a new vision… to become a world leader in the design, manufacturing, and support of cone crushers with Excel’s own proprietary equipment line called the “Raptor”.  This aggressive new vision required the focus of a new team under a separate corporation named Excel Crusher Technologies.  A new facility designed specifically for the manufacturing and assembly of crushers was erected in 2004 adjacent to Excel Foundry and Machine corporate offices.  In the first two years Excel designed, manufactured, and sold multiple units of its 300, 400, and 1100 hp Raptor model crushers – including a single $18 million order to Australian company on a major iron ore project.

In June of 2006, the Parsons brothers made the decision to sell Excel to FFE Minerals based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  It was the conviction the Parsons had in the integrity level of the leadership of FFE Minerals as well as the vast footprint FFE Minerals had around the world which would further propel Excel’s success that made this the right decision for Excel.  Both Doug and Rick continue in their same positions managing the company today and are dedicated to running Excel on the same core values that have been instrumental in its success.