About Us

In 1932 at the insistence of Walter Fincher, Bill Norvell made up the first de-mountable tray sieve in his basement shop in Kansas City, Missouri. He rented a room in Kansas City, Missouri in 1935 and moved in as Nor-Vell Sieve Shop, to make sieves and as the Fincher Bleaching Machine, to make agitators.

• 1936: Bill Norvell Introduces De-Mountable Sieve.

  Bill attended the Association of Operative Millers Convention at Dallas Texas, where he introduces the de-mountable tray sieve.

• 1939: 1st Free-Swinging Hustler Sifter Shipped.

  The first hi-speed free swinging Nor-Vell Hustler Sifter was built and shipped to Salina Kansas.

• 1940: Expansion of Existing Prodction.

  Another room is rented and women are employed for the assembly of sieve frames as original rooms are converted to build sifters and agitators.

• 1947: New Factory For Expansion of Prodction.

  January in Fort Scott Kansas, the ground is broken for a new manufacturing facility.

• 1948: 1st Single-Section Hustler Sifter is Shipped.

  The first Nor-Vell Hustler Single-Section floor mounted sifter has been built and shipped.

• 1966: Company Name Changes.

  The company updates it's name to the Smico-Norvell Company.

• 1970s: Company Expands to International Markets.

  Norvell begins shipping equipment world-wide as sifter's begin to reach Pakistan, England, France, Venezuela, CHile, and Japan.

• 1980s: Company Continues to Expand in Markets.

  Norvell continues expansion into the markest of Nigeria, Haiti, Hamaica, Philippines, Virgin Islands, Mexico, Trinidad, and Honduras. First shipments of agitators are now bound to Argentina, Thailand, and Israel.

• 1993: Company Name Changes from SMICO to NORVELL.

  Hough International purchases Smico - Norvell Company and is now set to be known as the Norvell Company.

• 1995: Ownership of Norvell Company is purchased by Alan Hale.

  Alan Hale aquaires ownership of the Norvell Company from Hough International to expand development and market reach. Mark Shank begins leadership as Norvell's General Manager the following year.

• 1997: Production Expansion Through CNC Equipment.

  The Norvell Company takes advantage of the technological changes available to increase precision and turn around times of production with advanced CNC equipment.

• 1999: Introduction of the Smart Sifter

  Norvell introduces the floor-mounted, free swinging, single section plan sifter known as the "Smart Sifter".

• 2000: Intoduction of the Wildcat Sieve.

  Norvell introduces the Weildcat Sieve with the solid aluminum tray.

• 2000s: World-wide Markets Continue Expansion.

  Growth continues for the Norvell Company as market reach now grows into further international regions including Barbados, England, Spain, Indonesia, and Trinidad.

• 2005: New Stainless Steel Gravity Fed Sifters Introduced.

  Introduction of the Model 111 and 223 stainless steel gravity fed sifters are released into the market.

• 2010: Norvell invests into production upgrades.

  Implementation of robotics is added to the prodcution abilities of Norvell's workforce.

• 2016: Maxcap Cleaner Introduced to the Market

  The Maxcap Cleaner provides up to 30% increased capacity to dramatically reduce foreign contaminants.