How Trion Industries has grown over 60 years into a leading manufacturer of merchandising solutions
Trion Industries (Trion) is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of display and scanning hooks. Having earned over 120 United States and international patents for innovations, the firm first revolutionized merchandising with the introduction of the original straight-entry display hook in 1965, and the first scanning hook in 1978. Product lines now include shelf management systems, cooler and freezer merchandising systems, storewide labeling systems, anti-theft and security fixtures, bar merchandisers, sign systems, display and scanning hooks, POP display components and hardware, making Trion the premier destination for retail display solutions.
The family-run business is now being stewarded by the third generation. We caught up with Adam Thalenfeld who shed some light on how the company has evolved: “Trion is in our 60th anniversary year. My grandfather founded the business in 1965; he invented the first straight entry pegboard hook, which is a simple object that is easily overlooked but represents one of many products that have helped to transform retail merchandising displays over the course of the last half century. At our core we are a hook manufacturer. Now we have about 130,000 different stock keeping units (SKUs) that range from pegboard hooks, plastic extrusion, and parts that are injection molded with our partners, to more advanced pusher systems. These include our expandable wire trays, our WonderBar system, and our ZipTrack system, which are front-facing pusher systems that have springs and paddles that help front face your products, whether that may be candy and salty snacks, or frozen pizzas, or salads.
“Our contemporary facilities are comprised of a distribution center and manufacturing site which also houses our offices,” he continues. “They are situated across the street from each other in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Our factory is between 500,000 and 550,000 square feet, while the distribution center is a further 215,000 square feet. With over 300 employees across the two facilities, integrated automation helps keep production and distribution as efficient as possible. All our machinery is automated to some degree; for example, we have automatic feeders for wire, plastic and metal stamping. We also have automatic feeders, automatic counters, and, in some instances, automatic baggers. This allows our machine operators to focus on overseeing production and maintenance.”
Increasing efficiency
This approach reflects a long-standing commitment to adopting and developing cutting-edge technologies. Adam explains how this is continuing today: “We’re in the middle of a ten-year capital expenditure plan, which we have already partially implemented. We have our own tool and die shop in-house, as well as our own engineering team. This enables us to develop and design our own machinery, which we can then get custom built, or manufacture components ourselves. With our older wire bending machines, this capability has allowed us to strip them to the core iron frames and rebuild them. We have equipment that was purchased in the 80s and in the last five years we have entirely replaced all internal components, which includes the addition of automated controls.”
Not only does this practice help bolster the company’s sustainability efforts by extending the lifecycle of equipment that requires significant carbon expenditure to manufacture from scratch, it also helps the company produce more bespoke solutions which also aid the overall efficiency of operations as Adam explains: “For instance, we are currently designing machines that we hope to be operational by the beginning of 2027. They will be replacing equipment that we designed 20 years ago by combining aspects of a few different machines. The new fully automated solution will not only cost less than the original iteration but will offer more flexibility and a significant increase in capacity.”
This is an attitude that is reflected across all aspects of the company, Adam expands: “Being a family-run business means we don’t have private equity that we can rely on to fund capital expenditure. So, we look after our machines, and make sure they are built to last. We take the same approach with our products and customers. We want our products to endure and be reliable for our customers; just recently we have seen one of our $15 merchandising systems that is still being utilized in a freezer over 20 years later and is still in perfect condition.” 
Continuing legacy
Before looking to the future Adam ruminates on the factors that have contributed to Trion’s longevity and continued success: “Without a doubt one of the elements that has been central to our accomplishments is our employees. We even have team members who have been here since the company first moved into our Pennsylvania facility in 1982. It’s a familiar story across the staff; many people have been with us for well over ten years. Our CFO, for example, has been with the company for over 27 years; I like to joke that he’s still settling in. It’s also very family oriented; some of our staff’s families have been working with us for three generations.”
Adam continues, outlining the company’s priorities for 2026 and beyond as this year nears its end: “These include continuing our legacy of strong relationships with our customers and our employees. We will maintain our focus on creating high-quality products, producing American-made goods without ever skimping on quality. We will also uphold our philosophy of continuous improvement. In the next five years, we’ll have three new major product lines if not more, as well as a lot more capabilities in-house. That’s something we’re always working to build on.”
Building on a legacy that grew from the post-war dreams of Adam’s grandparents, Trion has continued to evolve and grow as it has adapted to new technologies and growing demand. Integrating automation and keeping its technology up to date will help the business continue to thrive in the fast-paced economic landscape emerging today.