Founded in 1865, Gleason is the global leader in gear technology. Products and services include machine tools, gear finishing and testing, and also provide global technical support to supply cutting tools, fixtures, spare parts replacement, on-site services, application development services, gear design and testing software, project training, engineering support, machine tool transformation and Upgrade service. Its customer base includes leaders in the automotive industry, aerospace, energy industry, heavy-duty vehicles, recreational vehicles and power equipment industries.

William Gleason is the founder of Gleason Company. William Gleason was born on April 4, 1836. At the age of 15, he came to the United States from Borrisokane, County Tipperary, Ireland. He trained as an apprentice as a mechanic at the Asa R. Swift and I. Angel & Sons machining plants in Rochester. During the Civil War, he worked at the Cotter Armory in Hartford, Connecticut.

In 1865, William Gleason returned to Rochester and opened his own machinery factory. It was this small factory that slowly developed into the future Gleason factory and eventually became the listed Gleason company. . The factory was initially responsible for the production of a series of metal processing tools and machine tools, mainly ordinary lathes and planers. In 1874, William Gleason developed the first bevel gear planer. This invention witnessed the beginning of the bevel gear industry and also opened up the possibility of the development of powerplant transmissions.

Today, Gleason focuses on operating a business, mainly responsible for the design, manufacturing and sales of bevel gears and cylindrical gear machine tools. The company produces a complete set of bevel gear machines and tools. Bevel gears can change the transmission angle of force, such as from the vehicle's driving shaft to the rear wheel shaft. At the same time, the company also manufactures cylindrical gear machines and tools.