Doran Manufacturing was founded by two engineers who named the company after their wives, combining their names, Dorothy and Ann, to make DORAN! At the time we were focused on designing and manufacturing customized electrical interconnection components, which were small brass terminals that you would find inside appliances and electric motors to make the wiring easier and safer. 

Since then, Doran has evolved into a transportation safety and maintenance technology provider, creating Sleeping Child Check® monitors and light monitors for the school bus industry. In the early 2000’s, we expanded into the Tire Pressure Monitoring System industry for over-the-road truck & trailer fleets, waste/refuse fleets, emergency vehicles, recreational vehicles and motorcycles.  Over the years, Doran has expanded the TPMS business into the off-the-road (OTR) segment, working with construction companies, mines, quarries, and OEMs of commercial vehicles and equipment all over the world. 

Our Humble Beginnings

Doran manufacturing established its roots in the 1950s and slowly grew to what it is today. Before we entered into the TPMS space, our founders began the company in the electrical interconnect components industry for appliances, which served us well. So well, that we were able to expand into the adjacent industry of fuse panels and terminal boards for commercial vehicles.   As years went on, we grew our technological capabilities and created our own proprietary technology solutions. 

Our focus was always geared toward commercial and industrial markets and we were committed to growing the company. Something was on the horizon, we just didn’t know what it was. 

The TPMS industry

In the late 1990s we recognized what was happening in the automotive and commercial vehicle space and we wanted to continue our path in the commercial and industrial markets that we served. 

At the time, the emergence of tire pressure monitoring systems was geared toward direct-to-consumer applications, like cars, RVs and motorcycles. Since we had a strategy to maintain our focus on commercial/industrial markets, we launched our own proprietary Doran 360™ series of tire pressure monitoring systems that were designed primarily on commercial truck & trailer fleets, waste/refuse fleets and emergency vehicles.   

The overarching goal of TPMS technology is to communicate tire pressure and temperature data and alarms.   This will help to reduce tire related repair and maintenance costs by providing digitally accurate tire pressures and temperatures at a glance without the need to gauge/thump a tire.   Overall, this data helps to keep tires at their optimal pressures which improves tread life, avoids preventable catastrophic tire failures, optimizes the conditions of tire casings for retreading and reduces labor costs/time that tire maintenance personnel spend on inspecting, repairing or replacing tires.    

As we progressed into this industry, we had clients who needed a solution that would provide visibility on their trailer tires as well as their truck tires. As the technology for Doran advanced, we launched the Doran 360 SmartLink™ system which allows you to monitor both truck & trailer in drop & hook applications.  When a truck is connected to a trailer, a wireless “handshake” signal is created and received by the monitor on the truck.  At that point, all of the tire pressure and temperature data and alarms (along with the trailer ID) is transferred to the monitor without any interaction from the driver.

Beginning in 2011, Doran started integrating TPMS data with telematics providers to provide fleet management with real-time visibility on tire issues while their equipment is out on the road as well as in-cab alerts for the driver.   

This would lead to the fleet manager being able to contact the driver, letting them know that their rear, left, outside tire had a critically low pressure of the exact pressure and communicate instructions on the protocol to follow including pulling over at the next stop and inspect, fill, repair or replace the tire. The fleet manager and driver would now have the ability to monitor that tire, knowing it could be a potential problem.

Disaster averted, time and money saved. 

What does the future hold?

Just like Doran has always been positioned for what lies ahead--we are ready for anything. A business needs to be agile and be willing and able to change as needed. We are working with global leaders in the commercial vehicle market, creating innovative solutions and improving our technology on a daily basis.   We strive to create trusted commercial vehicle solutions through service, innovation and continuous improvement. Give Doran a call and actually speak to a real person about how we can help you solve your safety and maintenance problems as if they are our own.

Doran Manufacturing, our drive keeps you moving!