Leader Views
Meet Linda Hitchcock!
Meet Linda Hitchcock! Meet Linda Hitchcock, an Assembly Operator at our Winesburg Facility! Linda has been with KEP for 3 years and says one of the best things about her role is all the friends she has made. We love when the camaraderie of working together leads to...
August 2023 Anniversaries
August 2023 Anniversaries As students head back to school to continue their learning, we are grateful to have a team of life-long learners to celebrate this month. Between our nineteen August anniversaries, we have a total of 282 years of dedication, growth, and hard...
How KEP Makes Spearfishing Sustainable
Importance of Sustainable Fishing The fishing industry, like many others, is abuzz with talk of sustainability and eco-friendly practices these days. Because fishing is such a diverse industry, with a complex supply chain, there are many ways to approach sustainable...
Uses and Applications of Customizable Reeler Tubing
What Is Spooled Reel Tubing? Spooled tubing is rolled and stored on a spool rather than packaged in cut lengths and stored in a box or bin. Spooled reel tubing allows for easy dispensing and totally customized cut lengths. There are virtually no limits on what types...
July 2023 Anniversaries
July 2023 Anniversaries Every win is a team win – that’s why we’re so thrilled to have a loyal, hardworking team. Congratulations to Darlene Hines and Shirley Shrock on 48 years with our company! We are also celebrating Doris Airwyke’s 35th year with KEP, 20 years...
Meet Jesus Martinez!
Meet Jesus Martinez! Meet Jesus Martinez, a Material Handler and Translator that has been with KEP for the past 1.5 years! Jesus strips tubing and loads/unloads tubing and mandrel. We also appreciate that he is willing to translate whenever needed. A good day at work...
Innovating The Future Of Healthcare
Kent: Innovating The Future Of Healthcare We are excited to announce that Kent is launching a TPE Biopharmaceutical tubing product through a new division of Kent Elastomer Products dedicated to manufacturing cutting-edge TPE tubing for the biopharmaceutical industry....
Meet Doll Sanchez!
Meet Doll Sanchez! Meet Doll Sanchez, a valued KEP employee who has been with us for the past year! She currently works in Bulk and Lacing Inspection and has also helped with training/translating for new employees. When at work, Doll values good communication with her...
June 2023 Anniversaries
June 2023 Anniversaries This June, we are proud to have 22 KEP work anniversaries to celebrate! Charles Brady is finishing up 41 years with our team, and Bradley Walker just hit the big 4-0 milestone. Thank you to Cindy Franks and Dixie Marchand for 25 years of...
2023 State Champs
Congrats, Lady Tigers! We are proud to share that Brock Lauvray, who has been with KEP for 19 years, has led the Lady Tigers Strasburg softball team to their second consecutive Division IV State Championship Title! With this state-run in 2023, the Lady Tigers have...
New Reeler Offers More Capabilities
New Reeler Offers More Capabilities And Benefits To Customers We are thrilled to introduce KEP’s latest offering - spooled medical, biopharma, and food grade tubing! Our new packaging option allows for longer lengths of tubing to be purchased on one spool, ranging...
May 2023 Anniversaries
May 2023 Anniversaries We are blooming with gratefulness for our May anniversary employees! KEP wouldn’t be the same without these incredibly hard-working team members. Congratulations to all on your hard work. And a special shout out to Dorothy Stein on reaching 44...
Rubber Manufacturing Assembly Processes
Benefits of Assembly Services Assembly services can provide significant value in several ways. Outsourcing both manufacturing and assembly to the same service provider streamlines the entire production process by reducing both time spent on transporting product from...
Meet Tammy Goolsby!
Meet Tammy Goolsby! Meet Tammy Goolsby, a KEP T-Band Department Processor in Winesburg since 10/19/1997! According to Tammy, every day at KEP can be a good day, especially if she has a few simple things: coffee in the morning, a smile, fun interactions with...
April 2023 Anniversaries
April 2023 Anniversaries April doesn’t only bring sunshine, blooming flowers, and the hope of warmer weather. It also brings a new batch of KEP employee anniversaries to celebrate! The hard work of this amazing team is what makes KEP so special. Thank you to Theresa...
Service You Can See
Service You Can See! Brian started at KEP as the Director of Quality, Regulatory and Technical (QRT) Services in October 2022. He brought valuable experience from the automotive and medical markets, and continues to expand KEP’s service to clients reacting to...
Ohio Safety Congress And Expo
Ohio Safety Congress & Expo In March, Renée Onesti was honored to speak at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Ohio Safety Congress & Expo (OSC23) in Columbus, OH. Renée drew from her 20+ years of experience as a safety advocate in manufacturing companies...
How Colored Rubber Tubing Is Dyed & Created
There are many motivations behind choosing colors and shades for rubber tubing. Certain colors may communicate a specific usage, length, or other variable at a glance, making it easier for someone to choose the right tubing type when moving quickly. For some...
Meet Rod Brady!
Meet Rod Brady! Meet Rod Brady, a Tender at our Kent facility who has been with us since 2005! Rod works hard all week and then enjoys when Friday rolls around – a great time to reflect on all that was accomplished! For Rod, KEP runs in the family as his wife works at...
Trusted Assembly Services
Teamwork Adds Up – to Almost 250,000 Hours! Many people have heard of author Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000 Hours” – the theory that it takes time to develop great skills. When you trust KEP with your product assembly services, you get a team with nearly 250,000 hours of...
March 2023 Anniversaries
Celebrating Our March Anniversaries! Our exceptional team is our lucky charm and key to success! This month we’re celebrating 15 hardworking team members from each of our facilities with anniversaries. We are thankful for the 21 amazing years that Lisa Smith has spent...
Benefits of Rubber Assembly Services
KEP’s Assembly Capabilities Kent Elastomer Products (KEP) is proud to offer a comprehensive portfolio of manufacturing capabilities and services, from manual and automated assembly services to inventory management and packaging. We have invested significant time and...
February 2023 Anniversaries
Celebrating Our February Anniversaries! We are full of love for our February team member's anniversaries! Maybe we sound like a broken record – but KEP truly wouldn’t be who we are today without these hardworking employees. Thank you to Cheri Thompson, our Director of...
Meet Tom Pilcavage!
Meet Tom Pilcavage! Tom Pilcavage has worked at our Kent facility for 14 years in Electrical Maintenance. In his job, Tom is in charge of the upkeep and improvement of our facility, always making sure production is maintained! Tom’s favorite day at work is one where...
KEP Recognized For Innovation
KEP Recognized For Innovation KEP was proud to be named a 2023 Smart Business Evolution of Manufacturing Honoree! Our great Team Members are to thank, because it is they who live and breathe our culture of accountability and continuous improvement in everything we do!...
It Takes A Team
It Takes A Team There are countless reasons for projects to stall: Lack of resources. Supply chain problems. Not enough time. But there are two ways they get done: Resilience…and teamwork. Here’s an example. In May of 2022, a company came to us to make food grade...
The Development of Synthetic Polyisoprene
What is Polyisoprene? The term “polyisoprene” refers to a polymer material with a specific base polymer: cis-1,4-polyisoprene. Polyisoprene can be derived from plant-based sources—as natural rubber latex—and petroleum derivatives—as synthetic polyisoprene. Benefits of...
Employees Of The Year 2022
Congratulations To Our Employees Of The Year! When we say we take celebrating our staff and their continued growth seriously – we’re not kidding! At the end of the year, we recognize and honor three employees who have continually gone above and beyond. Check out who...
KEP In Their Words
KEP In Their Words! Customer feedback is truly invaluable to how we operate. We intentionally create systems that directly benefit the customer – open communication, trustworthy supply chain operations, employee longevity, and more – so we are always thrilled to hear...
Meet Tina Allen!
Meet Tina Allen! Meet Tina Allen, a first-shift Tender at our Mogadore Extrusion facility! At work, Tina makes sure all lines are stocked with the needed materials, loads and unloads trucks, prints labels, helps with cleaning, and more! A good day at work for Tina is...
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