Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
JASPER – Dubois Equipment Co. has been a leader in the wood finishing industry for more than 50 years. Its customers are all across the United States. Some – like MasterBrand – are close to home and others are in Canada.
Its finishing systems are designed specific to each customer’s needs. Its primary customers are in the building industry – makers of cabinets, flooring, moulding, trim and doors. The company also makes finishing systems for metal, plastics, glass and other materials.
General Manager Jeff Jahn said no job is too big or too small. Dubois Equipment Co. can make a system to serve a two-or three-person cabinet shop to very large corporations.
Jobs begin with the customer seeking a system or solution. From there the engineers go to work in the facility’s on-site lab where engineers test and fine-tune the products.
“We identify the process in the lab. It helps us minimize risk and the customer can see and touch the end result,” Jahn said. “Based on that, we design the system and build it from there.”
Turnaround time can be anywhere from two weeks to six months. When a system is delivered, a team of Dubois Equipment Co. employees travels to the customer to install the new system, train employees and offer any troubleshooting.
Over the years, the company has moved into different paint application processes. The company makes coating systems for water-based paint, solvent-based paint and UV paint.
“Our customers are people who build anything from kitchen cabinets to windows and flooring. Basically anything related to housing and construction,” he said.
Coatings and finishing systems have been the company’s focus for the past five decades, but the company’s history goes back even farther.
Dubois Equipment’s roots are traced back to 1867 when the company began manufacturing steam engines and thrashing machines. From 1930-1950, the business was located in Ferdinand and made cast iron plumbing pipe. In 1950, the business moved into making curing ovens and equipment for coatings. In the 1990s, there was a demand for finishing systems for hardwood flooring. Jahn said that from the 1990s through the 2000s, 8 of 10 hardwood flooring producers used finishing systems made by Dubois Equipment Co.
“Through the ages what we’ve done is adapt,” he said.
Adapting to change and evolving into new areas of expertise have defined Dubois Equipment Co. and is why the company is a leader in the finishing industry.
“When wood flooring went away we had to find something else, so we moved into other coating methods and technologies,” Jahn said. “Now we’re coating a lot of steel for things like sprinkler pipe, fencing and conduit.”
Colten Pipenger, executive director of Dubois Strong Economic Development Corporation, said companies like Dubois Equipment are vital to the local economy.
“Their ability to integrate products with ongoing innovation positions them as a valuable asset to our regional economy,” Pipenger said. “By investing in both talent and technology, Dubois Equipment Co. is the type of resilient, forward-looking industry that keeps Dubois County competitive.”
Innovation has been at the forefront of Dubois Equipment. The company has been issued four patents for UV finishing systems. In 2004, it was a finalist for the Challenger’s Award for its Mist Coater, which revolutionized the spray of 100% solids UV coating for 3D parts.
The company is also known for producing long-lasting, robust equipment. Jahn said
A cabinet manufacturer last year decommissioned a piece of equipment made by Dubois Equipment it had been using for 39 years.
“We have a lot of experience and innovation under this roof,” Jahn said. “Our challenge is to provide more value for our customers. And we are a family-oriented business and that drives a lot of what we do.”
The company is located at 630 Third Ave. in Jasper and employs 35 people.