Jasper Engines & Transmissions

Infobox Company
name = Jasper Engines & Transmissions
type = Private
foundation = 1942
location = Jasper, Indiana, USA flagicon|USA
address = 815 Wernsing Road
Jasper, Indiana 47546
coordinates = coord|38.37|N|86.94|W|display=inline,title
industry = Drivetrain Remanufacturer
products = Gas Engines, Transmissions, Diesels, Differentials, & Marine
num_employees = Approx. 1580
mission_statement = Do It Right... And Have Fun!
homepage = http://www.jasperengines.com/

JASPER Engines & Transmissions was founded in 1942 by Alvin C. Ruxer, the owner and operator of a successful Ford dealership. Ruxer’s vision was to establish and expand upon a locally based company with the premise of an ongoing commitment to quality. Ruxer possessed traditional values and a drive to find perfection within his employees and the quality of their work. As the decades passed, JASPER escalated into one of the largest, most prevalent drivetrain remanufacturers in the world. With national coverage, JASPER supports two distribution centers and forty branch locations sprawled across the contiguous United States.

At the onset of World War II, new vehicles were unobtainable as factories converted their resources toward munitions and war materials. It was then that Ruxer began rebuilding gasoline engines to extend the life of present vehicles. This new operation originated in the 12 x 20 ft. wash rack of his Ford dealership and marked the conception of what would later evolve into [http://www.jasperengines.com/ Jasper Engines & Transmissions] . [cite news|url=http://www.jasperengines.com/about-jasper.htm|date=2008-05-22|title=Company- About JASPER|publisher=jasperengines.com|accessdate=2008-10-06] Even after the war had ended, there still remained a demand for an uninterrupted supply of replacement engines. In 1946, the company made two decisions that would influence the quality and continued acceptance of their product. The first was to remanufacture "by the book" to the original manufacturer's specifications. The second was to recycle all five major castings through remanufacturing. These two basic principles supported the JASPER philosophy and allowed the company to rise to its’ current successful status.

In the early years of the company’s development, JASPER utilized pick-up trucks to make local deliveries. As territories expanded, JASPER slowly built its fleet of tractor-trailers to meet the need for multi-regional deliveries. Today JASPER supports Jet Transit with a fleet of over 500 vehicles including: 27 semi-tractors, 66 trailers and 175 delivery trucks.

As JASPER continued to develop, it became obvious that gas engines were not the only drivetrain component that had remanufacturing potential. A transmission division was launched in a separate facility in 1957. Two years later, JASPER procured Indiana Tool and Die to remanufacture torque converters and machine some of the many intricate and delicate transmissions parts that were previously outsourced. As the number of sales continued to rise, it was decided that in 1965 the two facilities become consolidated under one roof to reduce the costs of production and shipping. At that time, JASPER produced approximately 14,400 gasoline engines and 6000 transmissions annually. Again, looking to grow, JASPER started remanufacturing diesel engines in February of 1968. To meet the growing demand for diesel products, a 22,200 sq. ft. addition was built. This area included a modernized fuel room with contaminant free, temperature controlled features necessary to regulate the remanufacturing environment of diesel fuel systems and fuel pumps. A diesel service and installation department was also implemented to save diesel operators the financial burdens of downtime.

In 1976, JASPER introduced the production of exchange differential assemblies for heavy-duty trucks, stocking a variety of applications. Growth was apparent in all production divisions, specifically gas engine production. Ruxer sold his company to the existing management team in 1987. Focused on the future, JASPER empowered its associates (employees) to carry out the company's philosophy of continuous improvement in safety, quality, productivity and customer service. That same year, JASPER established its Marine Division, offering remanufactured inboard engines, I/O engines and stern drives. The marine division would later be expanded to include outboard lower units and powerheads. The [http://www.jasperelectricmotors.com/ Jasper Electric Motors] Division was also established to expand the company's capabilities involving motor rewinding and repair.

JASPER launched its Performance Division in 1989, offering a product line for the street, strip and smaller circle track applications. That same year JASPER ventured into the racing world, sponsoring Ken Ragan in three Winston Cup races. The racing engines were later built by Penske-JASPER located in Concord, North Carolina, and produced 800+ horsepower. The transmissions and differentials were built by JASPER at the facility in Jasper, Indiana. JASPER owned and sponsored primarily the #77 car and raced in the Winston/Nextel Cup for fifth-teen seasons, then co-sponsoring a car with Kodak for two seasons with driver Travis Kvapil until 2005. That however, was not the end of JASPER’s involvement in NASCAR. In 2007 JASPER unveiled the JASPER 4-Speed transmission and swept the road course events. The JASPER POWERED drivetrains performed in the NASCAR 2, 12, 39, and 64 cars during the 2007 season. In 2008, JASPER provided drivetrains for eleven full time NASCAR teams under the ownership of Joe Gibbs, Penske, Chip Ganassi and Michael Waltrip Racing. In addition to running the JASPER 4-Speed, the Penske drivers Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish, Jr. run JASPER differentials built at the Jasper, IN, facility and engines built by Penske Jasper Engines in Concord, NC. [cite news|url=http://www.jasperengines.com/racing_updates.htm|date=2008-05-23|title=JASPER 4-Speed Weekly Performance|publisher=jasperengines.com|accessdate=2008-10-06]

JASPER personnel have been named Remanufacturer of the Year an unprecedented three times by PERA, The Production Engine Remanufacturers Association, which is an international organization of the company's peers. JASPER also became a recipient of the 2006 Verizon Supplier Excellence Award, which recognizes companies with strengths in environmentally safe remanufacturing techniques. In fact, a JASPER remanufactured unit only requires 1% of the energy needed to manufacture a new vehicle.

Corporate and remanufacturing operations are housed in a 367,000 sq. ft. facility located in Jasper, Indiana. Nationwide distribution currently operates from two distribution centers. A 100,000 sq. ft. distribution center located Crawford County, Indiana. This facility also doubles as a 267,000 sq. ft. core processing facility that is designed to process engine, transmission and differential cores. Transmission and engine production have also been incorporated to improve the production capacity of this growing product segment. The second distribution center mainly services the West Coast and is located in Kingman, Arizona, with 69,000 sq. ft. of available storage space.

Today, JASPER leads the nation in remanufacturering a diverse line of drivetrain components. Approximate annual production is 65,000 gas engines; 75,000 transmissions; 6,500 diesel engines; 5,000 differentials and 1,200 stern drives. Additional product lines include electric motors, alternative fuel engines and alternative fuel systems. Products are built and tested at one of five locations, including a production facility in Willow Springs, Missouri, and operations in Bellingham, Washington, and Altoona, Pennsylvania. JASPER's mission statement is simple: "Do It Right and Have Fun!" [cite news|url=http://www.jasperengines.com/about-jasper.htm|date=2008-05-22|title=Company- About JASPER|publisher=jasperengines.com|accessdate=2008-10-06] Progressive research programs and new product development allows JASPER to provide products known for their quality and value just as Alvin C. Ruxer had originally intended.

References

External links

* [http://www.jasperengines.com/ Official website for Jasper Engines & Transmissions]