What Trico Products makes

Trico Products Corporation makes windshield wiper systems and blades for both the original equipment and aftermarket channels. The company invented the mass-produced windshield wiper blade in 1917 and has built its catalog around three main constructions: conventional bracket blades, aerodynamic beam blades, and hybrid blades that pair a beam shell with a bracketed frame. Its Exact Fit line is positioned as an original-equipment replacement designed to match factory specifications, and separate Premium and Super Premium lines serve the retail replacement market.

Beyond passenger-car blades, Trico builds heavy-duty and commercial-vehicle wipers, rear blades, wiper refills, winter and extreme-weather blades marketed under the Ice, White, and Chill names, and washer components sold under the Trico Spray name. On the original-equipment side, the company supplies integrated wiper systems, meaning the linkage, motor interface, and arm-and-blade assembly rather than a loose blade. Trico serves light-vehicle, commercial, and recreational-vehicle markets and sells through automakers, distributors, and retail chains.

Trico's engineering base sits in Rochester Hills, Michigan, at an 81,000-square-foot technology center opened in 1996, where the company runs durability and environmental testing on wiper systems against windshield rigs. Production is concentrated in Brownsville, Texas, and northern Mexico, with additional plants historically operated across Brazil, Argentina, Europe, China, and Australia. For buyers evaluating supplier tiers, Trico functions as both a direct wiper-system supplier to vehicle assembly and a branded aftermarket manufacturer.

Ownership and history

John R. Oishei, Peter C. Cornell, and William P. Haines founded the company as Tri-Continental Corporation in Buffalo, New York, in 1917, and the "Trico" name came from its telegraph code. The company opened a UK plant in Brentford in 1928, pioneered windshield washer systems in 1936, and its original Buffalo Plant No. 1 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Trico introduced the pre-assembled Exact Fit replacement blade in 1995, opened its Rochester Hills technology center in 1996, and added a plant in Suzhou, China, in 2005.

Ownership changed several times. Trico was a Stant Corporation subsidiary by the mid-1990s, was acquired by Crowne Group LLC in 2014 in a deal reported at about $277 million, and became part of Crowne's rebranded First Brands Group in 2020 alongside brands such as Fram, Raybestos, and Anco. First Brands Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Southern District of Texas on September 24, 2025, listing liabilities far in excess of assets and citing off-balance-sheet financing, an event that shut down roughly 17 plants and cut about 4,000 jobs across the group per court filings and news coverage. In 2026, a US bankruptcy court approved the sale of First Brands intellectual property and assets, including the Trico brand, to Premium Guard Inc. for about $25 million plus quarterly payments tied to net sales. Premium Guard, a filtration manufacturer, has stated it is integrating the acquired wiper, spark-plug, and filtration lines and reinstating US manufacturing and workforce capacity in phases through 2026.

Certifications and quality

Trico states that its quality management runs to IATF 16949 and ISO 9001, the standards expected of an original-equipment automotive supplier, and reports ISO 14001 environmental certification held since 2002. The company describes its Rochester Hills technology center as the site where it validates wiper durability and cold-weather performance before release. Trico has cited supplier-quality recognition from Chrysler, Ford, Porsche, and Volkswagen over its history, along with a Frost and Sullivan innovation award. These are the company's own descriptions of its certifications and awards rather than independently verified current certificates, and buyers running PPAP or supplier-audit processes should request current documentation given the 2025 to 2026 ownership change.

Known customers

Trico supplies both automakers and the branded aftermarket, but specific current program awards are not publicly detailed. The strongest public evidence is historical supplier-quality recognition rather than named active contracts.

Beyond this, Trico sells wiper blades through major North American and international retail and distribution channels under its own brand. Buyers should treat pre-2025 program relationships as subject to review following the First Brands bankruptcy and the Premium Guard asset purchase.

Sourcing evidence

Trico's US import record is consistent with a wiper manufacturer that assembles domestically and sources motors, components, and tooling from Asia. US customs bill-of-lading records list about 5,538 sea shipments to a Trico Products importer of record in Brownsville, Texas, with the most recent recorded shipment on February 5, 2026, which places active importing after the September 2025 parent bankruptcy. The most frequent foreign suppliers on record include Zhenjiang Fineworld Automobile, Ningbo City Fresh Technology, Taigene Electric Machinery, and Sinomag Technology, a mix pointing to wiper motors, small electric machinery, and magnetic components rather than finished blades. The concentration in China-based electric-motor and component suppliers fits a wiper-systems maker that builds arm-and-blade assemblies around imported drive components.

Coverage caveats apply. These are US ocean-freight records only, so air, truck, and rail movements, including most US-Mexico flows tied to Trico's Brownsville and northern-Mexico operations, do not appear. Some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers, and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence. Buyers weighing nearshoring or tariff exposure should note the cross-border Texas-Mexico structure this record only partly captures.

Frequently asked questions

What does Trico Products make?

Trico Products makes windshield wiper systems and blades for original-equipment and aftermarket use, including conventional, beam, and hybrid blades, heavy-duty and rear blades, winter blades, wiper refills, and washer components. It invented the mass-produced wiper blade in 1917 and supplies both automakers and the branded replacement market.

Who owns Trico Products?

The Trico brand and related assets were acquired by Premium Guard Inc. in 2026 for about $25 million through the bankruptcy of its former parent, First Brands Group. First Brands, formerly Crowne Group, had owned Trico since 2014 and filed for Chapter 11 in September 2025. Premium Guard is a US filtration manufacturer integrating the wiper and filtration lines it acquired.

Where is Trico Products headquartered?

Trico Products is headquartered at 3255 West Hamlin Road in Rochester Hills, Michigan, at an 81,000-square-foot technology and engineering center opened in 1996. Its primary US manufacturing has been in Brownsville, Texas, with additional operations in Mexico and, historically, plants in Brazil, Argentina, Europe, China, and Australia.

Is Trico Products still in business after the First Brands bankruptcy?

Yes. The Trico brand and assets were purchased out of the First Brands Chapter 11 case by Premium Guard Inc. in 2026, and Trico wiper products continue to be sold. Premium Guard has said it is reinstating US manufacturing and distribution capacity in phases, so buyers should confirm current plant status and program continuity directly.

What certifications does Trico Products hold?

Trico states that its quality management follows IATF 16949 and ISO 9001, the standard automotive quality systems, and reports ISO 14001 environmental certification held since 2002. Given the 2025 to 2026 ownership change, buyers running supplier audits should request current certificates rather than relying on historical claims.

Who are Trico Products' customers?

Trico sells to automakers as an original-equipment wiper-systems supplier and to the aftermarket through retail and distribution channels under its own brand. Its history materials cite supplier recognition from Ford, Chrysler, Porsche, and Volkswagen, though specific current program awards are not publicly detailed.

Last verified September 28, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.