The Prime Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin was founded in 1914 by Orton Lee Prime. It originally manufactured the Prime Moto Chopper (light flasher), the Prime Alemite lubricating system for railroads, and other railway supplies. In the 1930s the company began an association with Edwin J. Gengler of Brown Deer, Wisconsin. Gengler was a farmer who had spent several years experimenting with farm fencing. He finally perfected an electrical fence that he began to market in 1929. The Gengler Manufacturing Company was set up in 1931 to produce his electric fences. At first, Gengler's sales were primarily to other local farmers and advertising was by word of mouth. But by 1934, Gengler had obtained a patent and had found that demand for the fences increased to the point where it was beyond his financial means to continue the fence production. In that year, he made an agreement with the Prime Manufacturing Company transferring his patent rights and giving them the exclusive right to manufacture and sell his fences. Thereafter the Gengler Electric Fence was known as the Prime Electric Fence Controller.
Gengler continued his association with the Prime Manufacturing Company. In 1936, Gengler and Prime Manufacturing sued the Waukesha Electric Company over infringement on patent rights. Gengler continued research on perfecting the fence, and in 1938 made a research trip across the United States on behalf of the Prime Manufacturing Company to talk to farmers about usage of his fences.
The Prime Manufacturing Company mounted an active advertising campaign on behalf of the electric fence, stressing its safety features and it varied use possibilities. In 1940 the Underwriters' Laboratory issued the results of the three year study commissioned by the Prime Manufacturing Company to address the issue of establishing safety standards for the industry. With a few minor changes, the Prime controllers met the standards and the company was able to advertise their fences as having Underwriters' Laboratory approval. In another measure taken to illustrate the safety of the fences to potential buyers, a Lloyd's of London insurance policy was issued with each fence purchased for little or no cost.
The company continues to operate today, but electric fence production was discontinued in the late 1940s.
