Standard Motor Products announced it is celebrating its 100-year anniversary.

Elias Fife founded the company on April 19, 1919.

During the early years of the aftermarket, Standard Motor Products was instrumental in helping earn the industry a reputation of quality and reliability, whether it was with early efforts from its sales force or the introduction of premium-quality lines such as “Blue Streak,” the company noted.

Over the years, Standard Motor Products has grown by leaps and bounds from the company that Elias Fife founded in 1919. Standard Motor Products now employs approximately 4,400 people, generates more than $1 billion in net sales, operates in more than 25 facilities around the world and is a leading independent manufacturer and distributor of replacement parts in the automotive aftermarket.

Guiding Standard Motor Products’ growth is a set of core values that have remained consistent from Day 1: premium-quality products and premium brands; a commitment to basic manufacturing; world-class training and marketing support; a sales force that’s second to none; and a time-tested ability to adapt to the automotive technologies of the day, according to the company. But most of all, a commitment to integrity has been the backbone of its growth.

“As we celebrate our 100th year in business, we reflect back on what brought us to where we are today,” said Eric Sills, Standard Motor Products’ CEO and president, and a fourth-generation descendant of the founder. “Our founders had the foresight to enter this wonderful industry with a strong set of corporate values centered on taking care of our customers, and to do so with the utmost integrity. In this highly competitive industry, we owe our sustained success to both the dedication of our talented employees as well as to our loyal customers. We are committed to entering our next centennial with the same determination and ingenuity that has made SMP the automotive market leader that it is today.”