The business of truck exhaust products has become highly competitive over the last few years. One of the newer companies to enter the market, Lincoln Chrome, really isn’t a “new” company at all. Entering the big rig truck market about five years ago, they have quickly established a good name for themselves as they not only have focused on making the highest quality of products, but also superior customer service. Their complete line of products, made entirely in America at their massive manufacturing facility in Lincoln, Nebraska, is truly an American success story worthy of telling. Adopting the phrase, “Crafted in the Heartland – Ready for the World,” Lincoln Chrome is poised to be a major player in the truck accessory world for many years to come.
Lincoln Industries started as a local plating company in 1952, and is still family owned. Over the years, the company grew beyond a regional player and became one of the nation’s most successful finishing companies. Today, Lincoln Industries is a solutions provider and manufacturer for several diverse industries, including motorsports, marine, agriculture, gaming, heavy duty trucking, military, energy and agriculture, just to name a few. The company has developed many innovative solutions to address heat management, unique finishes, corrosion resistance, hardness, aesthetics, and many other solutions to improve their customers’ product performance and appearance. Innovation and growth is hardwired into the people and culture of Lincoln Industries, therefore, in 2009, the company launched its first and only branded product line – Lincoln Chrome.
Lincoln Chrome has come a long way since its launch five years ago, and has experienced some remarkable growth. Today, Lincoln Chrome is a major player in the aftermarket exhaust market and is actively working on expanding its signature line of products to meet their customer’s needs. But Lincoln Chrome is more than just a business – it has become a movement within the trucking industry – and its acceptance into the trucking culture has been incredible. Few companies have been able to connect with its customer base as quickly and as effectively as Lincoln Chrome. The foundation of their success has been the unmatched quality of their products and the company’s dedication to superior customer service. As a result, Lincoln Chrome has doubled its sales in each of its five years in business.
Over the years, we at 10-4 Magazine have developed a close relationship with the people at Lincoln Chrome, and they are a great bunch of guys led by Darren Parker, who is the Director of Lincoln Chrome (we just call him DP). “Our success is very much a result of the culture we have created and worked to strengthen from day one,” said DP. “Our people here love to win, and they take great pride in their work. We also believe that providing outstanding service is something that comes from the heart. And, as a result, we have worked hard to connect with our customers in a way that is unique and genuine.”
According to DP, Lincoln Chrome sees itself as more than a manufacturer and distributor of exhaust, bumpers, and visors. “We are proud to be a part of the driving community and cherish the many relationships we have developed growing the Lincoln Chrome brand,” he said. “We started with the idea that we would create a high-quality, innovative product made here in America’s heartland, and today we could not be more proud of our acceptance of the industry. “We are a young, energetic team with a network of chrome shops, dealers, and drivers who are much more than customers,” he said. “The relationships we have formed with our customers are our greatest asset and something we continually work to strengthen. We value their input, and this drives us to produce products that exceed their needs.”
Lincoln Chrome has taken the production of exhaust products to a new level. The company produces 100 percent of its exhaust products themselves in its facility in Lincoln, NE. The production team starts with a 20-foot piece of tube and it leaves their facility as a shiny, chrome stack. All of the design, fabrication, polishing and plating are done completely in-house by Lincoln’s people. They control 100 percent of the process to completely insure quality, on-time delivery, and customer service. “Quality in everything we do is part of our company’s values. Our people take great pride in their work and the products they produce,” said DP.
The people of Lincoln Chrome, like us at 10-4, have also proven that success can also be fun. Their participation at truck shows and events throughout the nation has become legendary. From shooting a woman out of a canon, sky diving into the middle of a show, and their many other unique ways of sponsoring and promoting truck competitions across the country, Lincoln Chrome has been well-received by the trucking community. As a result, when Lincoln Industries held a customer appreciation day last year, truckers from as far away as Canada brought their rigs to Lincoln, Nebraska to participate in the event. “Bringing the truck show experience to our people really changed the game. Our people were able to interact with drivers, see their work on a truck, and take part in the excitement of a truck show first-hand,” said Josh Paisley, Account Manager for Lincoln Chrome.
Lincoln Chrome has also pioneered finishing applications to meet the needs of the trucking industry as it deals with changing emission regulations. Shortly after starting the company in 2009, Lincoln Chrome launched NeverBlue™ technology, a new finish using a unique combination of processes to provide a coating that allows chrome finishes to stand up to the excessively high exhaust temperatures the newer engines produce. Meeting these high temperature issues without increasing the weight of the stack has proven to be another innovative example of why Lincoln Chrome has succeeded in the marketplace. “Today, the people of Lincoln Chrome are setting a new, exciting path for enriching the lives of our people, our customers, suppliers and the communities where we live and serve,” said DP. “Central to all of this is a focus on innovation and technology – those things we will use to expand our ability to enrich our offerings to the trucking industry.”
At the same time, the company continues to invest heavily in its future. Last year, Lincoln Chrome moved into a new location, providing needed extra space for inventory and shipping of their growing product line, which now includes bumpers, visors and other chrome accessories. Their entire finished goods inventory is now under one roof, which dramatically simplified their material moves and transactions, furthering Lincoln Chrome’s commitment to responsiveness to customer needs.
Lincoln Chrome is committed to continued growth through innovation within the aftermarket trucking industry. The company has great passion for the industry and it is built on the foundation of a parent company with over 60 years of experience in the plating business, whose success is backed by a customer base that includes Harley-Davidson, Peterbilt, Kenworth and Polaris Industries. “We take great pride in the fact that our products are 100 percent made in America,” said DP. “It’s something that is important to our customers because they understand the highest quality products are still those that are produced here in the United States. Quality is woven into the structure of our culture at Lincoln Chrome, and its importance goes far beyond the products our customers purchase from us. It tells our customers and our people we have pride in what we do. Our work has purpose.”
With a commitment to quality and innovation as strong as theirs, Lincoln Chrome has lifted the entire truck exhaust industry to new heights – for everyone in the market. This competition, ultimately, has created better products for truckers and, once again, proven that the American free-market system (capitalism) still works! Lincoln Chrome might be a relatively “new” name in the trucking world, but with their decades of history and experience, they are here to stay – and they are a fine example of what “Made in America” is all about. For more information about Lincoln Chrome, call (888) 966-6609, visit www.lincolnchrome.com, or just find them at a truck show near you.
