Our History

Jasper Rubber Products, Inc.: Our Story

Jasper Rubber Products is a hometown Jasper, Indiana, company. We were founded here, and we have grown up here with the dedication, ingenuity, and hard work of our local workforce. As the years went by, we became a reliable manufacturer of high quality rubber, plastic, and thermoplastic components.

Although we started out as a locally owned manufacturing company in a small town in Southern Indiana, our expertise has become well recognized, and our products are dependable components in many industries. Jasper Rubber Products serves a customer base throughout the continental United States and in Canada, Mexico, and other international locations.

Come along with us as we remember the story of Jasper Rubber Products’ growth, right here in our own home town.

In the Beginning …

Looking for a way to invest in their growing home town, a group of local investors conceived of a company that would produce rubber products specifically for the plumbing industry. Thus, in 1949, Jasper Rubber Products was established. Success for our start-up company was targeted by bringing Albert Place, who was experienced in all aspects of the rubber manufacturing business, into the operation at the very beginning. And our enthusiastic workforce was gathered from hard-working men looking for opportunities in the growing post-war American economy. The original product lines included molded and extruded products, and the first plant was established in a converted skating rink.

Off and Growing …

Our plan to produce rubber products for the plumbing industry was a great success, and Jasper Rubber Products was off and running! We soon became a reliable supplier of high quality rubber plumbing products and production expanded. In addition, we followed the growth of the industry in processes, materials development, and the needs of our growing customer base.

Production processes were expanded and new lines were added in 1961 to include automated lathe cutting and in 1970 to include injection molding. In 1999, we expanded into liquid injection molding. A significant addition to our materials production was made in 1987 when plastics and thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) were incorporated into our product lines. Over the years, we have made significant progress in processes and materials, and we continue to focus on ways we can better meet the customers’ needs for reliable, high quality components. With our focus on customer satisfaction, we are especially proud of our laboratory facilities and our custom compounding expertise.

And Moving Outward …

Our growing customer base and expanded materials, processes, and products soon meant that Jasper Rubber Products would outgrow the original production facility in the converted skating rink! Expansions to the original building and purchase of adjacent properties helped with our earlier expansions. However, since that property was bounded by highways, our opportunities for more space were eventually exhausted.

Our first big move happened in 1977 when Jasper Rubber Products relocated plant and office space to a 100,000 square foot facility just ¼ mile from our original plant. Here we would have plenty of space for current operations and space to expand. With the addition of building space and new equipment, this location was expanded to 198,100 square feet. And an additional 40,200 square feet location was acquired to house our TPE facility. Then to house our growing production and office space needs, we acquired another 25,590 square foot building in 1997, another 8,900 square foot building for office space in 1998, and completed a 35,200 square foot expansion for relocation of our grinding department in 1999.

It looks like our current 4-plant property spaces will serve us well for a while, but watch out, Jasper, we continue to grow!

Our Future Looks Bright …

Jasper Rubber Products, Inc., is proud of our first-class employee owners and their commitment to excellence in serving our customers. We are constantly developing custom compounded rubber, plastic, silicone, and thermoplastic elastomer materials to meet and exceed our customers’ requirements. And we pride ourselves on being ahead of the curve in the latest production and processing technology. With our laboratory facility maintaining the highest industry standards in research and development, our compliance with IATF16949 certification making us a reliable manufacturer for our customers in the automotive and motorcycle industry, and ISO14001 certification of our commitment to safe and healthy environmental standards, Jasper Rubber Products continues to grow our excellence in partnership with our customers and in providing an excellent workplace culture for our team members.